Wednesday, September 5, 2018

So School Started (+ Donut Dip)

According to tradition, we had our annual "Donut Dip" event the week school started: Morning donuts and ocean dip when summer transitions into the school year. Orientations, assemblies, conferences, book pickup, and community college were all happening, but the morning allowed a bit of extra time for this sweet tradition.

Clifftop view of our favorite Donut Dip spot on an overcast morning



Just the necessities: Towels and donuts



I took a few shots before setting the camera down and joining them...




Thankful for teens that give up their last morning to sleep in a bit to hang with their family...




Not gonna be our holiday family picture!






>:<
Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Well here I am again, at a coffee shop. Nowadays, it seems like the only times I sit alone in a coffee house are also the only times I blog. And I'm so tired. Jon knows I need time alone more than I need sleep so we canceled our date night and he sent me out to a coffee shop. I'm not alone here in this place filled with college students "studying," but no one needs me and the endless list of thing to do isn't staring me in the face. I'm even ignoring emails and texts that wait my attention. September rivals December in busyness for me in the areas of life and ministry, but Jon is kindly forcing me to care for myself a bit. We are once again coming to the realization that we've got to make sure we're both doing this, especially in light of another recent publicized suicide. We could both drown in the needs of others if we're not careful, lonely but always surrounded by people. Self care looks different for different people, but some of us need others to facilitate it.

We've got a couple weeks of school under our belt now and I'm thankful for a long weekend that helped us ease into the new pace of living. Early mornings are not my jam, but that's just too bad because there's no choice. I do early mornings in a painful fog after spending 10 minutes of alarm snooze time curled up in my bedroom chair. It's my coping method before I hit the ground running. I've run most of life super tired.

So after running around my house doing the things I need to do and helping others do the things they need to do, I ran around town for appointments while trying to settle on a logical plan with a son who grabbed the wrong laptop on his way out the door. Texting with kids while they're in class isn't always super effective. Then lunch and more school work. Oh, and a rare fifteen minute power nap and prayer time where I remembered the desperate exhaustion I used to feel due to a medical condition. I'd just pray in my weakness, "Help me." Today I thanked God for taking me through that trial which marked most of my adult years. Later, I snapped at a son for struggling through something hard with an attitude of complaint, only proving to him I am definitely not one single bit better and we are equally in need of help in our weaknesses. Every day: "Help me."

Tired or not today, I ran my 7 miles. I don't feel I have the reserve to put in my miles most days, but who does? I know I need training in the area of mental and emotional perseverance, so I kept moving when my head said to stop. I've never liked mind games, not even with myself. Learn this well: Sometimes you have to tell your mind to shut up because your body and your personhood are stronger than your mind wants you to believe.

So now here I am in this noisy shop with ridiculously fluffy hair, proof I showered before dinner but no time for pampering.

Man. I'm rambling. Sorry. I have better posts started, but haven't had the time to finish. Usually I just let those posts go because the flow of thought has past. And sitting down to blog now that I do it so infrequently is daunting because I feel like I've got to catch up and recap all the events that have transpired. I resist. The task is too much.

We had a good summer. The end. :)


~Katherine



4 comments:

  1. I chuckled at this on so many levels! I actually love your family photo - your family is beautiful and real! Also - an introvert's reality of self-care, necessary mind-games in the face of exhaustion, and the need to "catch-up" on blogging...I feel ya!

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    1. Are you ever tempted to just quit blogging like I am? I don't know what compels me to keep going, but it is a little deflating when I think about all that I'd like to record or say and simply don't have the time.

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  2. I could identify with this. Alone time is so needed for busy moms. There were years when my husband would announce after Sunday lunch,"lets all go to the beach!" I'd vote for all of the four kids going with dad to the beach while I stayed home ( alone). If there had been coffee shops and two cars I might have opted for coffee shop time for me. Homeschooling meant I was "on-call" 24-7- 365 days a year. It was bliss to have a few hours of no one needing me and sometimes I even ignored the to-do list. Sunday afternoons became my self care, and my husband insured I could do that without guilt. Your transparency as always refreshes and your photos are beautiful. Blessings!

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    1. Yes... I've been homeschooling for 12 years now, although in recent years I only homeschool 2 kids full-time, and 1 part-time. It's still very much 24-7, plus being involved in the life of the church. When my kids were little, I had Sunday afternoons to myself, too, because Jon would nap when everyone else did. At this season of life (family and ministry), we could easily never have a time of rest if we are not scheduling it in. I'm not sure why this gives me a sense of guilt (as if it's an undeserved luxury that I have to justify), but the benefits go beyond my own well-being and I know it's essential. Thanks for your comment and for sharing some of your experience.

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