Another one.

Been here. Done this.

But I need to do it again. Time for me to step out of the office. Away from the desk. Hands off the keyboard.

To be perfectly honest, I’ve forgotten to post. Sure, I’m a planner and have all the titles and ideas plotted out on paper; penciled in my planner. But when it comes time to post – I don’t. I wake up in the middle of the night and think, “Darn, it’s Wednesday today and I never wrote a Wednesday War.” I write reminders to myself to plan ahead and over-write for the next week, month, two months. My intentions are good. My time is limited.

And so. With so many things eating up my time, things important on many scales, I must step aside for a bit.

From this place where I write about whatever floats my boat. From this place where I let loose and go with the flow. From this place where I ponder questions I wouldn’t dare to ask aloud. From this place where creativity and imagination trumps sentence structure and punctuation. From this place where I sound like a basket case one day and a sane person the next.

And with every decision I finally decide on, I’m saddened to say “see ya soon.” I’m nervous to leave this blogging world for a brief moment in time. Because I know I’ll miss out on so much.

But if I don’t step away now, I’ll miss out on so much more than just banging away on my keyboard. And that’s something I can’t afford to miss out on.

Thanks for your understanding. Again. Thanks for  granting me this break. Again.

I’m probably most sad because it seems like everytime I need to take a break, it happens during my favorite season.

Autumn.

If only I could write out all the posts I wanted to post about fall leaves, bonfires, hayrides, crisp October mornings, pumpkins, apple orchards, jackets, hockey (by the time I come back, who knows what will have happened in the college world), family, kids, ETC.

Those will have to wait. Maybe next year?

Who knows. All I know is that the clock is ticking.

Another one has begun.

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I ask. You answer.

1. Favorite MN Meditations post? 
2. Do you prefer Wednesday Wars or French Fry Fridays?
3. What should I write about when I return?
4. Is there a time of year when you wish you could take a break?

 

 

Accidental non-posting week

There are no pictures to portray the feelings floating around my allergy-stuffed head. Well, maybe there are, but I’m not  going to take the time to search Google for an image today. My fingers are semi-sore from various projects I’ve worked on lately and I decided to cook one night and needed to use knives…

The point is this: I have missed writing “live” posts. Posts about real things. Sure, every Wednesday War and French Fry Friday is real. It’s there for you to read. But sometimes I scratch the surface and don’t actually talk about meaninful things. And there’s been a boat load of meaningful things going on in the world. None of which you will find to be breaking news in this post. But topics worthy of a nod. Worthy of a look. Worthy of words.

The day the Russian plane carrying the entire Locomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team of the KHL crashed, I was busy at work. I caught a glimpse of a news feed on my Google homepage. My first thought was that this has been the worst off-season. Tragedies keep shaking the hockey world – right down to its core. And it’s a small world, so it doesn’t take much to shake it. Players, coaches, trainers, GMs, and fans around the world are affected everytime our televisions and internet newsfeeds light up with heartbreaking news. Everytime a hockey player is lost, the world shrinks.

Everytime a hockey player’s life is lost, we stop to remember them. Not their slap shot or work along the boards or their role as the enforcer. We remember them as a person. As a human being.

And that’s the way it should be.

And that’s why it’s so important that they live out lives on and off the ice that are honoring and full of integrity and purpose.

Another meaningful topic I failed to cover earlier is the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. When I realized it had been ten years, I shook my head in disbelief. I remembered the exact moment, the exact feeling of that day. And this past September 11, just five days ago, it was perfect outside. Blue skies, sunshine, a wonderful fall day. And I couldn’t help but compare the two days - ten years apart. Because it didn’t feel like ten years had passed. The moment I crossed an overpass with bikers and flags, firetrucks, and families, I lost it. And it felt like I was back in 10th grade wearing my white GAP sweater and baby blue American Eagle pants. But I wasn’t. Because so much has happened in those ten years. And yet, we still remembered 9/11. The lives lost.

The people who died that day were not just victims of 9/11 – they were mothers, fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, co-workers, former camp counselors and lifeguards, marathon runners, neighbors, book-club members – they were people. People we can’t ever forget. No matter how many years separate us from that day.

The last part of this post is a lot more personal. For Labor Day, I traveled to my parent’s hometown with my dad. I don’t remember the last time my dad and I went to visit the town where he was born and raised – just the two of us. So, I tucked this trip into the nooks and crannies of my memory so that I can look back someday and remember it. Because you never know if you’ll get another opportunity like that.

Our time spent way up north, the true “Up North” of Minnesota was packed with family. And it reminded me of when I was a kid. Minus the fact that we didn’t stay at either of my grandparents’ homes. Due to the fact that they are no longer in those homes. Instead, we sat with my grandma at the care center (sounds much better than nursing home). We helped her eat her meals, talked with her, and clung to those lucid moments when she smiled or seemed to recognize us. She’s the last grandparent in my life. The last one I have to love and hug. I didn’t cry when I saw her this time. Instead, I just enjoyed it. I talked with some of the other residents and cheered my grandma on everytime she took a bite of her eggs and toast. It was kind of odd to cheer on a woman in her mid nineties as she ate a simple breakfast, but I hoped that with every cheer and every bite, she knew that she was loved.

And I know that I may not get another chance to watch her eat breakfast or smile from her wheelchair.  Even if it is at a care center and not her home. A home in which my dad and I passed on our way to the cemetery. A home in which I have all my childhood Christmas memories.

We went to the cemetery just to see it. Nothing has changed since the days we buried my three grandparents. Besides the fact that more of their friends and neighbors have been buried just a few plots over. Standing in front of headstones and walking from plot to plot, I realized that I’m getting older. A duh moment you may think, but one that hits hard when you stand in front of headstones and see your grandparent’s names etched on them. Or when your visits to grandma’s house are at a care center with hundreds of other grandma’s and grandpa’s. Or when you realize that your pregnant cousin’s kids are never going to meet their great grandparents. Or when you remember that you really want to tell your grandparents something.

Maybe that’s why I subconsciously didn’t post this week’s typical Wednesday Wars and French Fry Friday. Because as fun as they can be (in my humble opinion), I had other thoughts that wouldn’t leave me. Other thoughts that mean more to me than Online vs Store (shopping) or Backpacks! The two posts I had written in my planner but never wrote on here.

Sometimes you just have to stop and remember. Sometimes you just have to write so that you remember.

 

French Fry Friday: Study Hour

universitychic.com

By now, everyone is back. Back to the daily grind. Back to books, bus stops, cafeteria food, 30+ page syllabi, and studying.

Studying the basics – math, reading, writing, science, social studies.

Studying the specifics – organic chemistry, abnormal psychology, microeconomics, Renaissance art, linear algebra.

Studying at the kitchen table, in a den, on a couch, at a friend’s house, in the Suburban, at a desk.

Stressed out with assignments and looming tests, kids of all ages are looking at the year before them wondering if it will ever end.

When your life is forced to revolve around homework, papers, tests, and projects, studying seems like the only thing to do. Mainly because it is the only thing you can do. Especially in college.

Those were the days – the nights – of endless reading, writing, studying. The marathon weeks of non-stop studying. Just for one test. That sleepy look plastered to your face 24/7. So exhausted that everything someone said was funny. Because everything at 2 am is funny when you have to wake up at 5 am. Period.

Sitting uncomfortably, hunched over in desk chairs that came with the “fully furnished” room. Desks built without ergonomics in mind. Bunk beds too close to the ceiling. Hard floors that no rug could soften. Futons and couches slipcovered and accented with pillows. Doors that opened and slammed welcoming friends and roommates at all hours of the day.

Studying. Wherever you study, enjoy it. Because one day, it really will be over. And you’ll wonder why you stressed in the first place. But you’ll be glad you spent the time in study hour. Because it pays off.

To all you students – have a French Fry Friday Study Hour kind of day!

French Fry Friday: Back to cool

http://www.fashionstyleyou.co.uk/mini-boden-autumn-collection/

I go through spurts of shopping sprees. I don’t necessarily live to shop. And I don’t necessarily shop till I drop.

But fall fashion.

That’s a different story.

There’s something about fall itself that just fills me with energy.

Though sad to see summer leave, the long days and sunshine, I thrive on the chill of autumn days.

And nothing says back-to-school-welcome-to-fall like a good pair of jeans and a comfy hoodie.

When I was a little girl, I couldn’t wait for my American Girl Magazine. And in the fall, it was full of adorable outfits for Felicity, Samantha, and Molly. Yet, my favorite part of the catalog were the outfits for girls just like me. Forget the doll (partly because I didn’t own an American Girl doll), all I wanted were the cute sweaters, scarves, and other fashionable outfits of the 1990′s. In typical girl fashion, I would highlight and circle “must-have” outfits.

I never actually ordered any outfits from the American Girl catalog.

But that didn’t matter to me. I just liked to look. To see what was “new” for fall.

Not much has changed. Well, I don’t look through American Girl catalogs anymore, but I still love looking at fall hued cardigans and cords.

Even though I no longer go back to school in the fall, I can’t help but look at the new fall fashions. Over the years fashions have changed – for the good and the bad. In my years of going back-to-school, I noticed that the fashions don’t really change. There are always staples. Always sweaters – cardigans, wraps, v-necks, and crews. Always pants – khakis, corduroys, and jeans. Always jackets – rain jackets, wool jackets, and jean jackets.

Always the same. Always different.

And I think that’s why I like fall fashion. It’s predictable and new every time the leaves change and the days shorten. While every fall brings a life-change, the fashions remain unchanging and comforting, bringing more than just warmth from Winnipeg’s wind blowing down on us signaling that an even colder season is soon approaching.

And that’s why I enjoy a new cardigan and pair of jeans every fall, because it’s back to cool.

___________________________________________________________

I ask. You answer.

1. Favorite place to go back-to-school shopping.