Does anyone else get to the end of the month and find they have no idea what they've done in the last 31 days? I need my diary to remind me what I've already done, almost as much as I need it to tell me what I've still to do.
May was a busy old month. How do people hold down full-time jobs and manage to fit anything else in?! I'm only contracted 20 hours a week yet I still don't seem to have enough hours in any day. I have an ever-growing mountain of things I need to get done, but I've been pretty awful at conquering any of it in the last month and it's starting to weigh heavy on my mind.
Still, besides work and my never-ending series of medical appointments, the things that have kept me from defeating my to-do list have been largely enjoyable, so I can't really complain.
May was filled up with lots of running - covering my first half-marathon distance - and lots of time catching up with friends. I had coffee fixes with a friend from hospital and a fellow (ex)Youth Worker I hadn't seen in about year(!); I had a 'Pitch Perfect 2' and dinner date with some friends I hadn't seen since Christmas time; and we had a girls' night at the flat that was filled with good food, cheesy movies, terrible singing and an abundance of gin!
At church we had our biannual "big gathering" which brought together 600 or so people from across our sites for a phenomenal time of worship and encouragement; and I was really blessed by my time at a small weekly gathering of women with a shared struggle and a shared desire to get grounded in Word and prayer.
At church we had our biannual "big gathering" which brought together 600 or so people from across our sites for a phenomenal time of worship and encouragement; and I was really blessed by my time at a small weekly gathering of women with a shared struggle and a shared desire to get grounded in Word and prayer.
I took a wee road-trip to Glasgow for the day (so proud of myself for driving in the city!), visiting a friend and then enjoying time on my own in a city I love. I visited the cows at Pollok Park; wandered Pollokshaws Road and enjoyed coffee and cake at The Glad Cafe; paid a flying visit to Silverburn and a far lengthier one to Kelvingrove museum and art gallery; and ate a rather delicious meal at Usha's - a vegetarian Indian restaurant on Byres Road.
I spent a day in Edinburgh too, leaving on a 5:40am train with one of my colleagues and attending 'Barista School'. (Yep - that's totally a thing.) I'm now educated in the science of the espresso and have a City & Guilds certificate in the art of coffee-making! It sounds a bit ridiculous but was actually a fun and fascinating (though loooong) day.
At the very end of the month I attended a workshop in Christian Mindfulness, which brought May to a calm and contemplative conclusion, quite in contrast to the busyness of the preceding days. Whew!
3 Comments
Laura I get to the end of a DAY and can't remember what I've done! So glad you had a good month of May. You always make the most of things! I thought of you at the RAD, was it fun? Also, I hope to go to Usha's with a friend on Friday. I've been once before, it really is special. I'd also be interested to hear more about Christian mindfulness if ever you feel like writing about that. I was saying to a friend recently, emptying my mind doesn't work so well for me, but visualising and prayer do. I think those are all forms of mindfulness?
ReplyDeleteHow did you enjoy this visit to Usha's?
DeleteI think that mindfulness has come to mean different things to different people. To me it's really just about being fully present in the moment - this moment, right now, with all its sights & sounds & feelings & smells - instead of being so lost in a sea of thought that I miss the gift of now. I think the idea of "practicing presence" ties in pretty well with the Christian faith, as does the idea that each moment is a gift to be received and experienced.
I do enjoy some of the more meditative components of mindfulness too though and the workshop did seem to point this practice towards prayer and learning to be more attuned to God's presence and what He might be doing in that moment. (Not something I feel any good at, I must admit!)
It's such a huge topic and I've only just dipped my toes in the water, really, but I certainly find it an interesting concept.
xo
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