Friday, February 27, 2009

Lent, Day 2

Yesterday I:
  • Took a pile of books to mail away (on my bike!)
  • Sold my coffee table, which...
  • ...made enough space in my living room to rearrange it in a way that makes me happy.
  • Cooked up a whole lot of spaghetti sauce, and froze most of it.
  • Taught the kitten to 'sit' on command. Well, request. He _is_ a cat.
I also made two decisions -- both will wind up taking more of my _time_, but I feel that they'll simplify things nonetheless, and they're both things that are important to me.
  • If I can accomplish X on my bike, I'm going to. Since there's now a thrift store within easy riding distance, this means I'll be taking all of that thrift store stuff over in five or six trips on the bike instead of one in the car -- more time, yes, but less pollution in the air, less wear on my car, less money for gas; and more exersice for me, more interacting with the world instead of just driving through it, more time to just _be_. The downside to this is that Loiosh can't (currently) come along with me, but I have some theories about that.
  • I'm cutting (even more) processed food out of my life. Yes, this will mean more cooking; but it will also mean less money spent on processed food, less crap going into my body; and more intentional cooking _and_ eating, more healthy food around the house (since I always cook in ginormous batches), more time spent with friends (as I'm more likely to invite people over when I'm cooking -- see those ginormous batches).
In addition I've discovered one of those things that are important to me, that all the extraneous stuff in my life was covering up -- training Loiosh. In five sessions, totally maybe a half-hour, I've taught him to sit. Yes, a cat. To sit.

And he's come up to me repeatedly while I'm at the computer, and won't leave me alone until I do another training session. Yeah, he's in it for the treats and no mistake, but I think he also enjoys the attention, the learning, the praise. He's a smart cat and I suspect that he gets bored sometimes -- in fact I'm sure of it, the way he hollers at the front door.

This gives him something to learn, to think about, to do; and it gets him lots of lovins and praise. He's my good baby, after all, and he does love his momma. And I love him! And I love working with him, teaching him things.

I'll freely admit there's at least a bit of 'You taught your _cat_ to do what!?' in there, too, but I don't see anything wrong with that. ;)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your Lenten journey with us. Last year I did a modified fast (only one small meal per day) but this year I'm focusing more on seeking balance rather than extremes of fast vs over-indulgence... last year was crucical for my personal and spiritual development, but I get this feeling that I need something different this year.

Your reflections are helping me as I continue to carve out my Lenten practices this year, thanks!

Oh, and a note about cars: One of my friends NEVER drives. One of her reasons is exactly the same as one of yours "experiencing the neighborhood rather than driving through it." Great perspective!

Kate said...

Balance -- that's a good one. I guess in a way that's what I'm about, too, though I suspect I'll be swinging to one side of the equation this Lent. I'm glad I'm helping!

I'd love to get down to 'never driving' but I do too much long-distance travel, with too much stuff...necessary to the business alas, But, little by little, bit by bit...

Dr. Laura Marie Grimes said...

This sounds so joyous and freeing--just how Lent should be IMHO.