Thursday, February 04, 2010
A request
Thank you.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Hmmmm
Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I'm a liberal Christian, and I don't take the stories from the scripture literally. I don't believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins), for example. Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?
Hitchens: I would say that if you don't believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you're really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.
h/t to CWB for sharing this with me.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Tidbits
2. We had a real, honest-to-goodness snow in Searcy. I spent most of yesterday peeking outside to watch it come down throughout the day. It isn't often that we get enough to justify the ritual grocery runs and school closings, but this time we did. I love snow. I don't like the mushy mess of its melting, but I do love the beauty of snow on the ground and on rooftops.

After I took these pictures, it continued to snow for several more hours. Big chunks of snow that would explode on impact with the van and then slide down to the ground. This morning, it's the oddest thing: the ground is covered but the limbs and branches of trees are still bare.Funny snow. Beautiful snow.
3. We filed our income tax return yesterday. Before you start thinking that we are uber-patriotic and eager to give the government its share of our income, please realize that we get money back every year. Filing is our friend. It allows us to do things like clothes shopping and replacing worn out computers. This creates a rather odd dynamic of hearing my children say, "I love tax time," when the rest of the country dreads its existence.
4. I'm almost afraid to say this one out loud. (Does writing in a blog count as saying things out loud?) Anyway, I think I'm on the tail end of the funk I've been in lately. It started with Caleb's Type 1 diagnosis in August and simmered for a while. Over the Christmas break it really came to a head. Thanks to some wonderful listening friends, I think I'm ready to move forward. See, the problem is that when I feel overwhelmed, I reach for food like others might reach for credit cards, lottery tickets, or alcohol. Food is my drug. Maybe I don't become a violent drunk or spend my family's income on unneeded purchases, but I do gain weight every time I go through a season of stress. The good news is that I can still wear all of my clothes. The bad news is that I can't wear them well and if I don't change my current patterns, I won't be able to wear them for long. So, my friends, please pray for me over the next weeks. Pray that I will be wise in seeking God's peace as I move past cluttering my brain with worry. The NPR broadcast I shared a few days ago made complete sense to me. My brain has been full. It's time to let God have some of that.
I chose this picture for two reasons. First, it's beautiful. I love connecting with God through nature, though being outside is not a big part of my life these days. I'd like to change that. Second, I love that the two paths have clearly different destinations. The shorter one leads to the woods where it is dense and complex. The longer road leads to an open area with a much longer journey. Both are beautiful.Life is like that. I love my life. Even with its problems, it is full of wonderful people and breathtaking opportunities. If my path doesn't change, there will still be beauty, although it will be more complex because of self-added complications and my journey might be shorter if I don't take better care of my health. The new road I'd like to find will hopefully be clearer, equally beautiful, but with a longer journey that's not quite as difficult.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
There's a reason we choose cake!

If you've ever wondered why you don't make healthier choices about food, then you might want to listen to this NPR broadcast.
Just one more reason to slow down and simplify.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Another repost
5 Yoga Poses to Help You Rest Better
By: Stepfanie Romine : 11/24/2009

While I wouldn't recommend a full yoga practice just before bed, doing a few of these gentle, restorative poses before going to sleep can help you rest easier.
You can do most of these poses in your bedroom while wearing your pajamas. You might want to have a mat under you for comfort.
To facilitate your voyage to dream land, turn off the TV and dim the lights. Before beginning, come to a comfortable seated position on your mat and close your eyes. Start breathing in and out through your nose, in long, even breaths. After 10 breaths, open your eyes and begin these poses. You can hold each one for as long as you'd like, at least five breaths.

Child’s pose (Balasana):
Benefits:
Stretches hips, thighs and ankles gently; can help alleviate back pain.
How to:
You have two options to start:
For a deeper stretch:
TIP: Roll your forehead back and forth across the mat with your arms along your sides to help alleviate sinus congestion.

Downward-facing dog (Adho Mukha svanasana):
Benefits:
Calms and energizes the body; stretches the shoulders, arches, hamstrings, calves, and hands; strengthens arms and legs; helps insomnia and stress. How to:

TIP: If your arms need some help in this pose, try placing your hands on the seat of a chair set against a wall.

Head to knee stretch (Janu sirsasana A):
Benefits:
Stretches the hamstrings.
How to:
TIP: If your knee can't rest comfortably on the floor, roll up a towel to support the bent knee.

Seated forward fold (Paschimottanasana):
Benefits:
Stretches the spine and the hamstrings.
How to:
TIP: Can't reach your toes? Wrap a towel around your feet and grab either end with your hands to improvise a yoga strap. If your hamstrings are tight, you can bend your legs.

Legs up the wall (Viparita Karani):
Benefits:
Stretches the hamstrings gently, allows blood that has accumulated in the feet and legs to re-circulate in the body. Offers a gentle release for the low back.
How to:
TIP: This pose is great for anyone who works on their feet. Spend a few minutes in this pose (you can even do this in bed) each night to give your legs a break. Remember this one--it's also great after a long day of holiday shopping!
Have you tried any of these poses? Will you? Which one is your favorite?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Fatigue
True story.
Anyway, for many reasons, I have been tired lately. Physically, emotionally, spiritually . . . just tired. Tired enough I don't want to have to think of new things to say here. Worn out enough that I can't find a way to be creative or thoughtful about what I post, so I'm just passing on a few things that I have found.
One thing I want to do is c-a-l-m-d-o-w-n and s-l-o-w-d-o-w-n. In my search for ways to do this, I checked out www.zenhabits.net. (thank you, Stephanie) and wanted to pass it on. Feel free to check out the whole site, but please do read this little part. Most of my female friends have confessed to struggling in this area. Hopefully, this will help.

5 Great Ways to Conquer Self Doubt
This is a guest post by Alexandra Levit, career advice columnist for the Wall Street Journal.
Self doubt has been something I’ve struggled with all my life, from debating whether I could get into a top tier university to believing I could succeed as a writer. It’s a very human emotion, and it’s made worse for some people because of life experiences or temperament. Self doubt also makes you feel alone. Sometimes you think you’re the only person in the universe who suffers from a crisis of confidence, and you wish that you could be more like your successful, self-assured neighbor. Well, I guarantee that your neighbor doubts himself every now and then too.
You won’t ever be able to rid yourself of doubt entirely – believe me, I’ve tried. But I hope that these suggestions will lessen your pain when dark thoughts are all around you.
Go back in time: The first step to overcoming self doubt is to recognize that it’s there in the first place. Think about the circumstances that are leading you to feel insecure, and see if you notice any patterns. Are there particular situations (for example, dealing with a new boss, speaking in public) that prompt you to feel this way? Make a note of times in the past when you doubted yourself but ended up coming through with flying colors. Knowledge and recognition of your past successes will bolster your courage regarding what you can achieve in the future.
Defeat the doubtful thoughts: In one column, write a doubtful thought, and in the opposite column, write facts that dispute that doubtful thought. For instance, suppose you are afraid to invite a new colleague to lunch because you’re afraid you won’t have anything to talk about and she won’t like me. Statements that refute that thought might be: “We can spend at least an hour talking about the office culture here and what she did before this” and “She will like me because I’ve made a sincere overture to get to know her better.”
Keep an event journal: If you are a person who experiences a lot of self doubt, then it’s time for a test. In the course of a single day, write down all of the things – simple and complex – that you accomplished without a hitch. These can be things like “ran productive staff meeting” or “had great talk with Brandon over coffee.” Then, write down the things that didn’t go so well. You will inevitably notice that the list of things that went well far outweighs the list of things that didn’t, and this will hopefully allow you to see your doubt in a different light.
Call on your cheerleaders: Often, our loved ones can see our lives much more objectively than we can. Being a natural introvert, I sometimes doubt my interpersonal skills, and when someone doesn’t respond to me in the way that I expect, I occasionally get paranoid. It always helps to call one of my best friends so that she can assure me that I do in fact have a lot of wonderful relationships in my life.Celebrate your successes: When a situation in which you doubted yourself turns out better than you expected, don’t just nod and smile and move immediately on to the next thing. Take a moment and reward yourself for a positive outcome. Do something you enjoy like going to your favorite restaurant or eating a delectable dessert. Taking the time to cement positive emotions in your mind will hopefully make the doubt disappear more quickly next time.
Alexandra Levit is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and the author of the new book “New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career.” If you’re struggling with what to do with your career in the New Year, visit www.newjobnewyou.com for free tools and guidance.



