Revisiting Grace

Too often, I fall into the habit of just chugging along, not really paying close attention, until something makes me sit up with a start. It's occurred to me that I could stand to look up, take stock and see more of the bright side of things. And to do it more often than I've been, too. So, here are a few things I'm grateful for...

1. Mr Spandrel is keeping us rolling forward with painting our bedroom and the painstaking prep involved. There is so much to be done that I tend to get overwhelmed by the thought of massive disruption... but the end result will be beautiful and serene, I know.

2. This holiday weekend was full of connecting with family and friends, without the stress of entertaining. This is a long weekend that I've largely been able to savor, whereas recent ones have been a flurry of preparation followed by recuperation. This is more fun.

3. A two-day business trip in New York recently that, although it was super busy and left little time for exploring, gave me a jolt of that city energy that I crave once in a while. Awakens the creative spirit, too.

4. Hammocks swaying in summer breezes.

5. A short work week awaits, and who wouldn't be grateful for that?

The Resolution

Last year it was a list of To-Dos that didn't get done, so this year I've boiled down all that I want to accomplish into a single resolution. One that's elegant in its simplicity and chock-full of reward. And here it is:

Have More Fun.

That's all. In some ways, it's sad, isn't it? That I'd let life veer off into a groove that had worn itself so deep as to become a rut.

A rut I revisited over and over again this year.

Wake up.

Work.

Eat at various times.

Sleep.

Repeat.

As Gretchen Rubin points out in her book The Happiness Project, the days are long but the years are short.

In 2009, various things occurred, many of them not-fun. So that by the end of December, it felt like I shook myself out of the little fog I'd been in, and realized, another Christmas was here.

I'd like the next year to be different from the last one. Sure, there were good things that happened, but overall, Mr. Spandrel and I agreed that 2009 could be shown the door and never come back again, thank you very much.

So far, aside from already having much more fun in just the first few weeks of January, my little resolution has had a beautiful side benefit.

It's been a blast to watch the faces of the few people I've told this to in person, because a lightbulb goes off and they smile... and they agree that it will join their already-crowded lists of resolutions.

And that is just so much fun.

Step 2: Decide What You Want

When you spend all day, every day, focused on getting things done as part of a team where one person is relying on you to toss something their way at a specified time, it's hard to get out of that mindset.

Paralyzed by indecision, with wide-open space of unscheduled time, I sometimes find that answering the question, "What do I want to do now?" can be challenging.

There are the default, dreamy, pie-in-the-sky answers that always lurk in my back pocket: Go to Paris. Take up residence at the beach. And on some days, find a way to become queen of the world where everything I say, goes. (OK, we've entered the realm of fantasy with that one, but everyone needs one, right?)

But then there are the smaller ones, infinitely more achievable. And maybe? More fun in the end...

Like, dance with someone I love.

Crunch through a perfect Gala apple.

Turn off all the gadgetry and page through an engrossing book.

Impose a little order on this one-square-foot area of my desk. (I don't want to add to the frustration!)

Have cereal for dinner.

Call a friend who always makes me laugh.

Cross off something from my personal to-do list, the list that nobody pays me to complete.

Take a walk.

Decide to tackle things differently.

Make a list of experiences that have enriched my life.

Ah, that's the one... see you later.

Holiday Hubbub Countdown!

A random sampling of the last-minute shopping I've been doing:

1. Flowers


2. Sour Cream


3. Rye and sourdough breads


4. Cereal for breakfast


5. Milk (1% as a get-through-the-winter treat)


6. Oven mitts (or, as my Dad calls 'em "Kitchen Gloves")


7. Junior Mints Deluxe
   ("Who's gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It's chocolate - it's peppermint - it's delicious!")
8. Hot cups for coffee (with lids!)


9. Cookies from Daryl's Bakery (chocolate dipped, covered in jimmies, some with raspberry or apricot jam - ostensibly for the kids)
10. More parsley

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! More later.

Words I Like

1. Kodachrome
2. Estuary
3. Vermillion
4. Sanctuary
5. Fortitude
6. Exacerbate
7. Elan
8. Silverado
9. Sublime
10. Surprise

Good Things

Lavender buds.
Friends you've had since you were six.
Colorful textiles.
Electric blue patent leather handbags.
Moleskines.
Knives with heft.
Tomatoes so good you eat them like apples.
Walking under a canopy of trees.
Cheerful banter.
Seeing with fresh eyes.
Knowing someone understands you.
The unexpected Roz Chast cartoon.
Amelioration.
The foam at the edge of a crashing wave.
Good sleeping weather.
Spotting a cache of butterflies.
Being pleasantly surprised.
The glide of a pen over smooth paper.
A perfect cartwheel.
Bananas with no spots.
Undulating waves of flowers planted by someone who cares.
Using your strengths.
Biding your time.
Biting your tongue.
A coupon you forgot you had.
Well-worn shirts.
Oft-read books.
Togetherness.

List Envy

My lists are seldom this entertaining.

Or detailed.

Our Patriotic Duties

After a busy, rush-rush-rush week, we spent the Fourth of July:

1. Sleeping til 9 (OK, 9:30 for me, actually).
2. Reading books.
3. Grilling dogs.
4. Enjoying the view.
5. Feeling the breeze.
6. Not shopping.
7. Chopping up a cherry tree.*
8. Tending to plants.
9. Using no gasoline.
10. Flying the flag.

*Tree already long-dead.

Mid-Year Checkpoint

At the start of this year, full of hope and clean-slate promise, I made a list of goals for myself.

Here, at the almost-midway checkpoint, I'm revisiting what it was, in an ideal world, that I saw myself doing for 2008 and how I've fared so far, and maybe any lessons learned along the way.

Can't say it's been the most goal-focused year so far, at least not according to these goals I set way back when there was snow on the ground and I was cooped-up in the house writing at my desk overlooking my little street. But in reaching for these goals, I learned a few things along the way...

1. Learning a new recipe every week:
Thanks to the influx of magazines that find their way into our house, we're trying new recipes fairly regularly. Although I far away from my goal of one per week. I did try a Cooking Light recipe for a lemon cake that was truly atrocious, so I'd warn you against that. Mine turned out like two rubbery disks cemented together with a gummy cream cheese/lemon frosting.

Lesson learned? When baking, go for the gusto, make the full-fat cake, eat two generous slices and then work out extra-hard to make up for it. Life's too short for unsatisfying, lowfat cake.

2. Seeing every movie that piques my fancy:
Wow, that seemed so much more important when I was cooped up in the house. But I did manage to see Sex and the City with my sister - she and I watched the last two years of the show together, so it was like old times.

3. Traveling to places that make me feel more awake and alive:
Well, I've incorporated a few of these into my outlook on life, like Number 3. The Gryphon Cafe (amazing chicken salad with capers and artichoke hearts, along with the best coffee) is a bit of a schlep at about 30 minutes away, near other places where I run errands every once in a while. Since my schedule's been crammed full lately, I've not had time to get out there in the past six weeks. But I'm hoping that will change - as early as this weekend.

4. Organizing more outings with friends:
Hm... This has been quasi-successful, but I want to do more. So this stays on the list.

5. Spending more fun time with my niece and nephew, smart creative kids who keep me smiling:
Some of my fondest memories of these kids will always be of the conversations we have. They're both really thoughtful, funny and egg each other on. Each has his or her own intelligent take on things, and I really just enjoy seeing how they think.

6. Adopting a better house-cleaning schedule, focusing on the relaxing sense of order that results:
Housecleaning? Feh. That went nowhere.

7. Reading more books that make me feel like writing:
Well, file this under best-laid plans. For now, at my new job, I'm reading all day long and writing and being incredibly productive. So I'll grace myself the reading-for-inspiration, although I really do enjoy the sense of escape that comes from a good story.

8. Taking a different approach to work by focusing more on learning-innovating-thriving:
A few things are making this difficult at the moment, but this week has been on where I've felt like I've leaped ahead in terms of knowledge and growth. Did you ever literally feel yourself growing? I've had that feeling many times in my life, and that's what this week has been for me.

9. Spotting the art in everyday life:
Bull's eye! With spring and the onset of summer, what's not to love? There are flowers everywhere you turn, leaves on trees in different shapes and sizes, fudgsicles, iconic sunscreen bottles, the sun hitting buildings at crazy angles, brilliant sunsets, still lives anywhere a bowl of fruit can be found. I've just not been so diligent at toting around my camera, unlike some people.

10. Enjoying the good parts of every day:
I sort of knew I was tempting fate by writing about Productivity vs. Drama, because then suddenly a little bit of drama unleashed itself. But paying attention is half the battle. So often we get caught up in the drama of whatever is going on that we neglect to see the good that's hidden around the bend.