Rest and Enjoyment

I am enjoying myself.

This may not seem like a blog-worthy thought, but I am inspired by my friend Lianne who shared her random beautiful moment with her friends today in an email! If I remember right, it included sheets drying outside in the wind, fresh tulips, and being outside in the garden. And deeper than that, it had to do with optimism, coming to the end of a tunnel, and living in the beauty.

And so, here, I find myself feeling joy.

I am resting. After 8 hours on my feet interacting with people, I often want to come home and do "nothing" which usually means watching a movie. Last night it was Eagle Eye, sometimes it's an old episode or two of LOST, sometimes it's a weird Red Box choice. The truth is, I've been thinking lately that instead of resting, Americans like to be entertained and pretend it's resting.

I do this all the time. I want something to do, but don't really want to exert more energy, so I'll sit and watch something, thinking that if I'm not moving, surely I'm resting.

"If I'm not moving, surely I'm resting." hmm...

But there's way more to resting than not moving. Sure, it's nice to give my feet a break after making them work all day, but I don't think entertainment recharges me as much as I'd like to think it does. Entertainment is about filling space with someone else's story. There is no space involved. I think I need a little more space for myself. I need my own story, or rather, I need to slow down so that I can feel my own story.

And this is my story: A Pandora soundtrack came first -my Kings of Convenience radio-while I was checking my email. Then I got led by a random google search to a beautiful photoblog http://photos.viczhang.com/. I felt ready for dinner, so I began to pull fun things out of the freezer and fridge.

So here I am: just finished a crunchy comforting quesadilla, sweet Brussels sprouts that taste like God makes brown sugar grow up into them, and frozen bowl of my new favorite thing- plain yogurt, frozen blueberries, grape nuts, frozen pecans, and honey. Perfect. Purple and Perfect.
Jose Gonzalez, Sufjan, and The Weepies have been serenading my little dinner. And the background has been these beautiful photos! Rolling hills, bright colors in shop windows, crinkly flowers, junkyard backseats. Curious about these delectable mini cabbages on my plate, I found another gem http://www.101cookbooks.com/. The images and recipes are so... tasty. Maybe I should read recipes when I want to rest. Recipe books and photoblogs.

The Weepies sing "the world spins madly on," and it does.
I'm glad I have my little still moment here.