Neighborliness

I took our dog, Coda, on a short walk this evening around the neighborhood closest to our apartment. It's a lovely place. Kevin and I have thought long and hard about moving there if the right house came open at the right time. (Also, it's extremely convenient because we wouldn't have to rent a truck--we could walk our stuff right over!) It seems very friendly, but I didn't know just how friendly until this evening.

At the end of the block, there was a little girl outside, drawing on some paper as she knelt on her driveway. She was adorable--for me, the perfect little girl in that she was short, her clothes were a little frilly, and her curly hair was standing almost straight up from every end. Her parents were also no where in sight. At first, I thought she was coloring with sidewalk chalk, but the paper curled up and I saw it was some kind of glitter crayon she was using. She looked up as I walked by and said simply, "Hello!" "Hi there," I replied. "That's really beautiful," I continued, realizing that she had cut the paper out to look like wings of some sort, or a sort of butterfly.

"Do you want one?" she asked me. As I started mumbling something about not wanting to take what was hers, she ran towards me, one half of a pale green wing (or perhaps a leaf), smattered in red glitter, was making its way toward my hand. "Thank you!" I said as she put the leaf in my hand and made sure I had a firm grip on it. And with that, she went back to coloring, almost as if she was getting the next one ready for the following passerby.

I thought to myself, I hope that I can have that kind of attitude about my neighbors. If each of us were so willing to give our gifts to others, to believe that those things we have to offer could actually bring some joy to another person's life, I wonder how much more we would be willing to give.

3 Saturdays in a row

It's fall break around here, and I have been enjoying some down time with my husband before we both go back to work on Monday! That's right, I got a job! I am now a chaplain at the college, and very excited about it because it I get to be very much a campus pastor in the role. It feels like the job really fits who I am. Getting to be in an extraverted work environment will also probably do wonders for my energy level. While there is a very small part of me that will miss the time I've had at home, I think I will truly enjoy it all the more working part time and having an excuse to get out of the house.

So to celebrate this weekend, we have been enjoying some things we like to do regularly, along with some new things. Yesterday, we had a nice day biking around town, shopping and doing a little reading. It felt like a nice, slow Saturday. Today, we went to the Lancaster Central Market, partly because I had a craving for Middle Eastern food and fresh vegetables. The people who run the place are from Jordan and Israel, and the food they make is incredible. I bought some homemade whole wheat pita bread, stuffed grape leaves (wonderfully spiced), falafel (also deliciously spiced), a vegetable pie and a spanakopita.

After that, we toured one of the downtown museums, and then took the long way home through some of the most beautiful farmland I have ever seen. I reflected on the awe I felt while looking out the car window. The fields still held on to their deep, nourished green color except for the corn fields, which contrasted with it's faint browns and pale yellows.

Tomorrow, I hope to pick some apples, visit Kevin's uncle in Maryland, and take my first tour through a Trader Joes, which is what every first year professor (aside from Kevin) seems to be missing most in this part of Pennsylvania. We hope to see what all the fuss is about (some of these folks are self-proclaimed addicts!).

That said, we have felt that every day since Thursday has felt very much like a Saturday. Whether at work or at play, we have been enjoying the slow pace of a relaxed extended weekend and more so, time in the company of one another.

Back to "Normal"

After a two week hiatus from blogging, I am back to what I hope will be a somewhat "normal" routine. A lot has happened in the last two weeks. A trip to Georgia, renting our house, a job interview and a crummy cold that knocked both Kevin and I on our backs for short while.

The week in Georgia was wonderful and a little intense at the same time. We put down new carpet in our house, and at the same time the official measurements were being taken, I was showing the house to our new renters. I went around to visit as many people as I could in the in-between time. It was strange, because as good as it was to be there, it was the first time that Athens didn't feel like home. Hard as that is, I think I am moving through my grieving Athens pretty well. What has been difficult is finding my rhythm back home in Pennsylvania.

Since I have been back at the apartment, I've had a cold, it's gotten cold and we've had a few consecutive rainy/overcast days. It's been very hard to get back into a normal routine of writing, reading, etc. During the days I was sick, I watched an abhorrent amount of television because my eyes crossed to read anything (not even the computer). I can't remember much from that time, but it was really unimpressive anyway.

This week, however, I feel a new energy. I signed up to volunteer at the local library. I thought it would be a good way to meet people in town. I am waiting to hear back about the job, but I tackled some tasks around the apartment that felt like I was truly continuing to purge and organize.

More posts to come soon, on sleep cycles, job changes, and continued learnings on forgiveness.