The best laid plans...

I started this weekend out with very few plans, which was itself a part of an overarching plan to get some catch-up work, rest, and working ahead accomplished. Three-day weekends often become jam-packed with great ideas which leave one exhausted on Tuesday, facing a week just one day shorter than you would normally – but with considerably less energy. So I decided to take it easy in a proactive sense; get laundry done, do my taxes, finish the Sauer’s wedding scrapbook before, you know, their one year anniversary, maybe get some scrapbooking done myself.

Funny how little of that is now actually sealed up and accomplished. My Dad told me of a few more things I had to do before filing my taxes, and I have to wait till last years’ clear; I realized my scrapbooking scissors are conveniently located in San Diego. I did clean my room and clear out my closet. But I was left with considerably more free time than I was expecting. This resulted in a number of unexpected pleasant surprises. For one, I officially took another step toward human-hood in Allis’ eyes by becoming a card-carrying patron of the Alexandria Library. I brought home a thick book of history, pictures, and touring information on Ireland, as well as a history of early Rome and a video about Britain during the Dark Ages. (Yes, I’m on a European history kick. Mr. Stahnke would be proud.) Upon flipping through the Ireland book, I became inspired to develop a new hobby (though I don’t know how many times one must engage in an activity before it becomes a hobby and perhaps it will not qualify in the grand scheme). Anyway, the point is, Czar Peter gave me an art set for Christmas, and I finally decided to break out the watercolors and try to capture some of the shorelines I’ve only seen in pictures and in my dreams. I don’t think I’ve touched a brush since I was 10, and it was an interesting exercise. It was so relaxing and fun. I’m pretty much no good at it, but it is a creative outlet, and as Allis (and Pearls Before Swine) would say, everyone needs one of those… right…

Yesterday’s unplanned moment was the time of my waking. Through blurry eyes, I saw a shade of Allis at my door, and it was speaking to me. It told me it was 10:30, and I realized through my grogginess that was the time church started, so I asked it what we should do. The apparition said we could never get ready in time, and I found it best to concur. I didn’t even remember sinking back under my many covers (it was particularly cold in my room this weekend), but that is what happened, until another form appeared at my door quite a bit later, and it asked if I wanted to cook breakfast. That was what got me out of bed, but the end result was that, both yesterday and today, I was blessed with 10 divine hours of sleep. Oh, sweet rest.

Another creative outlet came in discovering the fine art of walking slowly today. Sarah and I, federal employees (or close enough) extraordinaire, decided to enjoy our day off by hitting the President’s Day sales at Tyson’s Corner. However, we stipulated that we had to make each other walk slowly. We had come to realize how frantic we seem, whether walking in a Metro station or grocery shopping, and decided we must learn to breathe again. So we sauntered, or tried to, as I tried desperately to reconnect with my “chill” west cost side and attempted to teach Sarah the same. It worked, sort of, and our slow pace helped result in the purchase of a fair amount of clothing – but it is a change of seasons, and most of what we purchased was necessary, so we decided it was justifiable. I am quite excited about all my purchases, many of which are a more delicate style than I’ve been known for in the past, so I’m pretty pleased – from my completely khaki Ann Taylor getup to the “blouse in search of a date” *wry grin*. Heaven have mercy. Sarah and I have way too much fun shopping together.

And so, my taxes aren’t done, and I’ve made no inroads on my scrapbooking. But my laundry is done, my room is quite organized, I have made contact with my creative side, and my soul feels refreshed. It’s amazing how God gives us what we need, whether or not we knew we needed it in the first place. Maybe I’d feel like this more often if I accepted the “accidental roads” of everyday life instead of fighting them.

I’m learning. Slowly.