Advent 3

--We enter the third week of Advent.   I want to do more--more sketching, more walking through the paths lit by holiday lights, more listening to all the holiday CDs we've accumulated.

--Maybe I should just settle for remembering to light the Advent candles more regularly.  And it's difficult to remember to open the Advent calendar when it's in the fridge to keep the free trade chocolate from melting.

--It's the time of year that I want to commit to my superpower:  my body can store calories in advance of a famine.  We hear from nutritional experts that many citizens will gain 2-3 pounds during the holiday season, to which I say, "Amateurs!"

--But I also want to age gracefully, which means I want to be the feisty, old woman who can both carry her groceries in from the car she can still drive safely and put them away.  If I gain 10-20 pounds during every holiday season, that dream dies.

--I also want to be a feisty, old woman with friends, which means I need to keep maintaining my midlife connections.  Thus we went to dinner at the house of friends last night--sobering to realize that the last time we were together was July--subsequent get-togethers were disrupted by Hurricane Dorian and later, a November PAC meeting.

--I realized I had news to share, news of my acceptance into the spiritual direction certificate program.  The one friend who didn't know of my news said, "Wonderful.  We've been talking about how you should do this for over 10 years.  It's perfect for you."

--Let me remember how many people, almost everyone, has responded similarly.  Even when they ask, "What will you do with that?" and I say, "I'm not really sure yet, but I could work in a church or at a retreat center or have my own practice, like a life coach would do"--even in the face of that uncertainty, people say, "It's perfect for you."

--Some people say, "And then you can go on to seminary and be a preacher, right?"  Let me also remember that.