You Can Take the Catholic Out of the Girl but...

 Happy Fat Tuesday.  Some people refer to this as Mardi Gras...Guess what?  Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday!"  Some may even go as far as saying Carnival...that is just another part of the world celebrating for a whole week.  What are they celebrating?  Basically, it is a period of gluttony before a fast.  This fast is the 40 day period just before Easter.  This fast has been around for centuries. Fasting has always been used in religious devotion to purify the individual fasting. The number 40 has always been used to symbolize purification: Jesus in the desert, the Israelites in the wilderness, Moses on Mount Sinai, and Noah on the Ark.

I have continued to revisit my Catholic roots each year as Lent comes around. I have fasted from various things.  My favorites are chocolate, soda and swearing.

This year I am doing a trifecta of give ups.  

1. Social Media*-I scroll way too much.  It gets in the way of lots of things like reading, hanging with my kids, and being mentally healthy and less anxious.

2. Soda-I have started to crave soda around 3:30 every single day.  This shows me that I am relying on caffeine a bit too much.  Some may even say that this is an addiction.

3. Sugar-This has also been a favorite way to self soothe of late.  I have been in the thick of things as my life has been turned upside down.  Chocolate, cookies, and Nerd Clusters have become my security blanket.  I also feel that this blanket has been screwing up my skin and my gut.  So, bye bye sugary treats. Hello Salad...we meet again!

Do any of you practice Lent?  If so, what are you refraining from this year?

May the force be with us!

Donuts earlier this week.

Shamrock Shake: Part of Fat Tuesday

Not pictured from my gluttonous Fat Tuesday: Pretzel Flipz, Cadbury Mini Eggs, Cadbury Creme Egg, Nerd Clusters that I didn't get to eating. 

*I may come onto socials on occasion to update my peeps on new blog posts.  Here's to less scrolling and more writing!

Letters

 I have always been a letter writer and I love when somebody responds.  There is something special about getting a piece of mail. Opening the mailbox is a bit boring of late.  On occasion I will get really nice mail from my sister or friend, Marla.  

The most recent letter I received was this card:

I am pretty sure Andi, my sister, was responding to the picture I posted on my last post of my new tagline: "Always find time for the things that make you feel happy to be alive."

Her card now lives on that same poster:

I read a book recently that made me think more and more about letters.  The whole story is told through the correspondence a woman has through letters. It isn't surprising that the book, written by Virginia Evans is entitled The Correspondent. If you like books, this one definitely has my recommendation. Within its pages, Evans makes one think about our short life span here on this planet and about what really matters.

I have a box full of many letters I have received through the years.  The ones from my mom and my grandma are of utmost importance.  See, the written word can make us immortal, and remembered.  Pieces of paper that we write on can become tangible evidence that we were here.  I love re-reading those old letters.  I think I may just have to pull that box out again one of these days.

I love writing, I love writing letters.  Do you like getting mail? If so, comment here or on my posts on social media about this blog and I will reach out to you about getting your address.  I am on a letter writing kick since reading that life changing book, and I would love to write you!  Also, write in your journal today...the future will thank you.

Always Find Time

 Time...it's a thing.  Time is something we keep track of, something we lose track of, something we squander, something we have or don't have...it's something.

I have had a lot of alone time lately.  Alone time is quiet and it makes one think.  Sometimes those thoughts are kind, sometimes they are lonely.  Being in the thick of a challenging time brings lots of introspection.  

I am still trying to make my bedroom a sanctuary.  I finally have the set up how I think I want it.  A new record player shelf was in order and I took care of that last week.  The room is a hodgepodge of furniture and decor, nothing matches, but it is my spot.  

I have one sole thing hanging on the walls of my room.  You may say it is also alone.  There could be something very symbolic in this.  

It expresses a very important concept to me, as I am in the thick of grief and adjustment:

This makes me think of a scripture from The Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 2:25: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they may have joy"

Part of being here on this rock flying through the great expanse of the universe, is to find joy.  Joy can be many different things to different people.  Here are five things that have been on my happy list currently:

1. My kids.  These two humans are my biggest joy and my greatest blessing.  They are mine and I feel so blessed to be their mom.

2. Sports.  It is playoff football right now.  It is the good stuff(even if your favorite team self-sabotages itself) I was able to also attend a Utah Mammoth Hockey game yesterday...being among other fans who bring such amazing energy to the arena fills my soul.  Some people find my sports fascination silly.  They may even say it is a waste of time.  But if things make you happy are they really a waste of time?

3. Vinyl records.  This new obsession is interesting.  The nostalgia that comes from the needle hitting the edge of a record is hard to describe.  The write-ups in the covers, the pictures of the artist, the sound, it is unique and has brought a whole lot of nerd out of me.  I love playing them and I love browsing for them in record stores.  

4. Weekly(or as often as I can go) religious services.  My faith makes me who I am.  My faith also helps me navigate hard stuff. The world can be a very scary place these days and the peace, comfort and strength I find in my worship helps me keep on keeping on.

5. Reading and books.  I don't read nearly as much as I want to, but when I do allow the time for it, I love the escape the stories within books gives me. Sometimes fiction is superior to reality. I also love perusing books at my local book store.  I have some gift certificates to use there in the near future.

*Bonus: Writing.  Putting my thoughts down on paper, or on a computer is free therapy.  I think I am going to have to be better at coming to this space and getting the creative juices flowing.  I keep telling myself it doesn't have to be perfect.  So, you five readers, look forward to more posts here.  I am committing to it now.

And now it is your turn to share at least three things that make you feel happy to be alive.  Did you know that writing down three things that you are grateful for(I dare say make you happy) actually rewires your brain to look for more good things.  You are less depressed because of it.  It's science; look it up. Comment your things below, it would be fun to have that interaction with you all.

2026…Writing in Winter

 I’ve been meaning to post for centuries. I’m pretty sure I say this every time I post. 

I’ve been writing a lot lately. Mainly for therapy but sometimes for other reasons. Today I wrote a good poem(well at least I found it good at 7am this morning.). I thought I would share it here. 

I’ve been writing as part of British Author Beth Kempton’s Winter Writing Sanctuary. Basically, there are different prompts daily which include a study in color. Writers are encouraged to light a candle and embrace winter through the act of writing. I’ve done this for a few winters and absolutely love it. 

Today’s color was black. We also were prompted to pick a few words. I picked: silhouette, thunder and Midnight from a list of words.

Here is my haiku:

First there was thunder 

The midnight sky silhouette 

A lightning reveal

I also wrote a longer poem:

Without thunder there is no lightning.

Without light, there is no dark.

All things have an opposite…

     Light/dark

     Hot/cold

     Pleasure/Pain

We often label the opposites as good/evil…

     Yet they are not so…

Summer yields to winter

     Transitioning through fall…

Winter yields back to summer…

     Transitioning through spring…

I dare say winter is no more evil than darkness…

For without the dark, we wouldn’t know light. 

Winter is a space, a solace. A rest.

I used to fight winter

     Maddened by the cold

          And by the long nights…

My attitude, poor

My time a waste

A spot I wished away.

Now I am embrace winter,

     I cozy in fluffy blankets,

     In warm pajamas,

     And cute slippers.

The time slow, yet well lived.

A slow down, a pause for inward reflection

     For cuddling with family during movies,

      For sipping warm tea or cocoa.

Without thunder, there is no lightning

Without dark, there is no light

There can be beauty in the opposite!

Give Rugby A Chance, I Promise You Won't Regret it.

 I am not sure you have even heard about one of the most pivotal women's sporting events that is currently going on:  Women's Rugby World Cup. 

You may have never even watched a rugby match and you probably don't know how rugby works, but I guarantee that if you sit down and tune into a match or two this weekend, you'll become intrigued even if still a bit confused about rules.

I too was confused about rules when I first suited up to play in Logan, Utah twenty plus years ago.  I had no clue how the game worked but I sure got excited when an opposing player carrying the ball was barreling toward me.

The adrenaline was pumping, and all my thoughts were: "I must get this tackle." She was probably a quarter of my weight; tiny, but I was focused and in attack mode.  As she approached, I lost all sense of reality and picked her up over my shoulder and slammed her into the turf. That tackle wasn't only brutal, but it also was illegal, see rugby has certain etiquette(even if it seems like the one of the most brutal of games) and that over the shoulder tackle was breaking that etiquette.

This game, played with muscle and that includes tackling without helmets or pads, brutal as it may seem, contains loads of etiquette.  In fact, it has been termed "the gentleman's sport"(according to my old coach at Utah State back in the day). Sportsmanship and respect for both the opposing players and referees is not only encouraged but expected.  While playing, athletes go full beast mode head to head, but when competition ends, they go full camaraderie mode. 

Last weekend, England stomped The United States 69-7 but there wasn't any rubbing in the Eagles faces after by the Roses.  Instead, there were laughs and hugs shared.  

Looking back, I wish I would have learned the rules earlier in my life.  Rugby just wasn't mainstream back then, but the women who are playing now are trying to change that.  In fact, the most followed rugby player on Instagram is Ilona Maher, a member of the Female USA Eagles team. She has been instrumental in getting the word out not only about Rugby but about women's sports in general.  She has also been a champion for body positivity and I just love her.

To get you excited for the upcoming matches, including The USA Women's Eagles against The Australia Wallaroos at 2:30 pm Eastern here in the US, here are is a highlight video from last weeks match against The England Roses:

And to get you to admire and want to know Ilona more here are four bonus videos: