I’ve been super busy with work and hardly any time for personal computer time, but I wanted to take a moment and write about what I’m doing in my free time.
In the evenings, instead of blogging, flickring and twittering, I’ve been reading “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barabara Kinsolver. It is the story of one family’s efforts to eat only local, sustainable and self-grown foods for 1 year. I read one of the essays by her 19 year-old-daughter last night and felt weepy. What a wonderful experience for a young woman, to understand and learn where food comes from and its true value beyond how many calories it has in it.
I’ve also started morning pages again. I’m on day 3, and I’m finding it does help me find a place of calm to start my day. I’ve picked up the “Writing Diet” by Julia Cameron in which she uses the tools of creative enlightenment to help people with their nutritional woes. Overeating, she says is a block to creativity. It’s an interesting concept, and one I decided to try because I had done her “Artist’s Way” several years ago and recall that the morning pages had a miraculous effect. When I wrote every morning, three pages, no questions, no critics, I found I’d start with a question and end with an answer that seem to come from someone other than myself. I felt I was praying and conversing with God through my writing. But for one reason or another I quit. Now, I’m at a point in my life where I am considering approaching things a bit differently, and this tool seems to fit exactly into the gapping hole in my life.
Another one of her tools is walking. Take a walk, 20 minutes, every day, in any direction. This idea helps me step out of the “I must run or it’s worthless” mentality and allows me to reconnect with the joy of taking a walk. Not for calories, not for sweat, just to get out into the world and enjoy some fresh air. A commodity I find lacking working from home and never needing to leave the house. So, I’m taking walks. I live within walking distance of 4 parks. I’m not measuring my walks by distance or calories burned but by parks visited. The first day I did 3 parks. Yesterday I did 4 parks. Today? Well I’ll just let me feet decide.
The third goal I’d like to tackle is to begin a culinary journey myself. Not unlike Mrs. Kinsolver, in which I buy local food and prepare them in healthy nutritious ways. I’m going to use Alice Waters as my cooking teacher and work my way through her book “The Art of Simple Foods.” I haven’t started yet but I am reading through her book a little each day. When the farmer’s markets open I am going to begin. I’m looking forward to Spring, which begins tomorrow.
