Own the day

Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.

-ralph waldo emerson

 

I came across a portion of this quote yesterday in an Instagram feed, and I was particularly drawn to the line "He is rich who owns the day."

Five for (Good) Friday

1 // I updated my mileage! 19 or so miles in the past two and a half weeks or so. Better than nothing. I've also decided not to row this year. While I'd love to, I really don't have time to commit to a team (and, if I am going to row, I want to compete). I was thinking I could find one set time every week to go out by myself in a single, but I think I need the team/other people around to keep me in the game.

2 // Easter! I've been thinking a lot in the past months about how to create family traditions and keep holidays special. I haven't done a single thing for Easter, but I feel like I want to do something for W.

3 // Not long until vacation. It's so long overdue, over two years since I've taken a single vacation day at work. I can't wait to stick my toes in the sand on a warm sunny beach.

4 // Need to finish organizing (and getting rid of) spring/summer clothes. I dug out all our bins from the basement but I've been slow to organize, put away winter stuff, and the like. The incessant RAIN and cool temps have undoubtedly contributed to this as I haven't even needed spring/summer clothing yet.

5 // Wyatt's first birthday is nearing. Crazy. Again, see point number 2. A few months ago I came up with a good invitation idea based on one of his favorite toys. Now, I need to get in gear to pull this off.

Five for Friday

Well, try again I will. It's three weeks later, but it's on the right day at least.

1 // I'm not sure I can really be a blogger. I LOVE blogs, but really I like reading other blogs more than I like trying to be a blogger. We'll see, maybe I can catch on someday.

2 // I'm planning a bridal shower for my sister, which is next weekend (yikes!). I don't have everything done, but I know what needs to be done. My deadline is Sunday afternoon at 4pm. I'm on it!

3 // Spring visited, but fluttered away. Highs in the low 40s for the next week. That's 10-15 degrees below normal people. Last weekend I cut back my hydrangas and pulled some wild(?) onions. I'm ready for the real deal here.

4 // I've run two mornings in each of the past two weeks. Better than nothing, I say. Oddly, on those mornings, I actually am more organized, ready, and ahead of schedule than on any other day. Maybe I need to do this morning running thing more often? (A resounding yes!)

5 // Family. Sigh. I have a few awkward relationship with my family. Odd to admit, but it's true. It's weird and uncomfortable, but it comes down to the fact that we don't communicate well. I don't know how to fix it, but I hope I can overcome it. I want my family to be different. Here's to change.

Five for Friday (on the Monday after)

Lists are good. I think I'll go with lists as a way to actually keep up an attempt to blog.

(Ok, it's Monday, but I'm writing this as if it were last Friday. Bear with me here, ok?)

1 // this week at work i came across a negative comment someone made about me. it was an interesting experience for me to see this comment written in print, and it was equally enlightling to me personally to discover how it made me feel. unlike what i might have expected my reaction to be, i was suprised that i was not angry or upset but rather i was energized and motivated by it. the comment was unsubstantiated and after about .5 seconds of thinking about it, i quickly came to the conclusion that i shouldn't worry about it. the commenter make herself look silly so i wasn't going to make myself look foolish as well by responding in a negative manner. obviously, i am still thinking about it so the effect of the comment has lingered, but i still feel motivated and almost freed by it.

2 // wyatt turned nine months old last week (photos forthcoming). he weighs 21 lbs, 5 ozs and is 28.5 inches long.

3 // so ready for spring. so ready! love the days (just one or two a week at this point) with sun shining, birds chirping, even it if is only 45 degrees. last week, i even saw some daffodils pushing up. happiness.

4 // my sugar addiction needs to stop. why am i so lacking motivation on this front? i've been carrying around my food diary for a few weeks now, thinking that one day i'll just start using it again. not yet, unfortunately.

5 // did i mention spring?!

Loosening my Grip

I read this post on Small Notebook. Then I read it again. Then I immediately went to the bookshelf in my spare bedroom (aka. room where I put stuff that I don't know what to do with but think I am not ready to part with) and promptly put 20 or books that I have been hanging on to for 15+ years in a "donate" bag.

I want to bookmark that post and just read it every day. I am over "stuff" too and want to learn to live with and need less because I have bigger (see 2011 resolution number eight), more important things I want to do. So far, I've only made one trip to goodwill this year and thrown some stuff away, but it's not enough. The goodwill truck is coming through my neighborhood this week and I plan to have some bags/boxes ready for them.

Goodbye unnecessary stuff. I don't need you. In fact, I'm better off without you.

Meaning

Over the weekend, I was cleaning out a few drawers and came across this clipping. I wanted to save it.

Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life. You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties, out of the expericens of humankind as it is passed on to you, out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you belive in, out of the things and people you love, out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something. The ingredients are there. You are the only one who can put them together into that pattern that will be your life. Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you. If it does, then the particular blanace of success of faiure is of less account. // John Gardner

When I wonder what I'm doing and where I am going (which is almost constantly), I need to remember that I have the power to choose my direction and put meaning into my life and what I am doing. No one is going to do that for me.

Lately

In the past week...

(1) The Internet ate our computer. Urgghh. Thankfully, it is now fixed and restored, and everything is now properly backed up. Back up your files people!!

(2) I caught a cold or something quite unpleasant which morphed into a bacterial infection. I finally went to the doctor yesterday after 10 days of  eye watering, sore throat, conjestion, and general grossness. I couldn't even take a day off during that stretch because there were so many things on my calendar and no one to cover for me. Today, though, I finally took a day to catch up on myself and rest. Hopefully this and antibiotics will help.

(3) I finally took W's eight month pictures.

(4) I made red velvet cake balls and my personal recipe oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for an adoption shower. For decorations, I made MS tissue paper poms-poms and the cutest ladybug decorations (that I, of course, did not take a picture of).

(5) Now, I'm working on bridal shower invites for my sisters bridal shower in April.

Conflicts

Last night, I told my husband that I wanted to go to The Art Weekend.

He said, "You can't. You have a son."

(Sigh.)*

The Art Weekend is the same weekend as Head of the Hooch.

The Hooch might get a better response because it is closer and hubs and the little guy could come along. If I am rowing in 2011 that is.


*Disclaimer: Having seen other not-so-friendly comments posted around the web, I thought I should mention that of course I love my son and want to spend as much time with him as possible. I do, however, have other interests that I would like to again fit into my life. I'm not sure how to balance it all.

On the Run

My goal to find make time to run hasn't worked out so well just yet. Today, I reached the lofty total yearly distance of 13.5 miles. A whole half-marathon!

I was looking back in my food diary from early 2009 to find that on this day I rowed 7,760 meters. On February 10, I ran 7.08 miles! I'm anxious to get back to that. For now, I'm blaming my lack of consistency on the snow and ice!

For a little inspiration, I'm in the market for some new running shoes. I've saved some birthday money and lunch money and so I have enough to buy a pair with cash. I'm holding out a little bit until I get myself back into some consistency and get my weekly mileage up a bit.



Pants Problem: Solved

I have a pants problem. Does anyone else have a pants problem too?

I'm five-eight and a half. I hate even trying on pants because I just know that they won't fit me. Regular-length pants are just a tad too short. Just a tad. And, if they aren't too short in the store, then they will be after a wash. Tall-length pants are too long. So I struggle and avoid pants like the plague, even though I really need some smart-looking, good-fitting pants.

This weekend, I made a quick trip to New York and Company. I don't shop there often, but need to return/exchange a few things I received at Christmas and my gift receipt expired Februry 9th. Since I already have more tops/sweaters than I need, I promised myself that I would walk out of the store only with pants.

I armed myself with a few pairs and headed for the fitting room.

Success!! Amazing. Shocking. Exciting. A pant that fits and is long enough without being too long. I'm wearing them today, and I'm so happy. How great is it when you find a piece of clothing that really fits exactly right?

I got these in gray. (I wanted khaki, but they didn't have my size.) I'm so happy about these, that I may have to save up my lunch money/weekly allowance to go back and get another pair in a different color (probably khaki or navy). Sorry, Stacy and Clinton, but this is one case where I need to purchase the same article in multiple colors.

Really, I am in a great mood today, and I attribute to the confidence I gain from good-fitting pants. (Oh, and I also had a free birthday drink coupon from Starbucks that I redeemed this morning on my way into work.)