Topsy Turvy Morning

Usually I get up in the wee, small hours of the morning and get some writing or some grading done. 

This morning I wrote a small paragraph about my gardener character on Mars, and then my spouse woke up.  And so, my morning flipped.

My spouse's brother is coming up this morning so that they can go on a motorcycle ride.  I got some chores done--sheets washed and vacuuming done.  A quick clean of the bathroom.  I put together my contribution to tonight's potluck dinner before church council.  I paid some bills.

I didn't get as much writing done as I had hoped to do.  But it feels good to catch up on some of the daily tasks that so easily slip away.

There's still laundry to be put away, but at least I have clean clothes.  There are weeks when I comfort myself by saying, "I've paid the bills, I'm wearing clean clothes, my students are taken care of, and my faculty are O.K.--this is enough."

I wish I had time to do more straightening of the spiritual kind.  Tomorrow is Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday that intrigues me.  In this post for the Living Lutheran site, I wrote:  "The idea of a period of intense introspection enchants me. I also like the idea that it ends. Immersing myself in a period of repenting and atoning, fasting and prayer – that idea has enormous appeal. The idea that God seals the book, absolves us, and we go back to regular life also appeals to me. Most humans can't live in that kind of intense self-awareness and repentance for too long."

Here's how I concluded that post:  "So, this today, as my Jewish friends immerse themselves in this holy time, and as I go about my regular life, I'll try to remember to think about God and that Book of Life. I'll think about my current life and where I need some change in its trajectory. I'll pray for all of us who are engaged in a similar time of introspection."

May it be so.