14 July :: on the eve of payday

homemade berry scones. these were delicious, and i'd love to make a couple of batches to freeze for breakfasts. from the Babycakes cookbook.

my baby 

amazing pineapple-banana smoothie with raw cashews and some other yummy stuff

it's done! 

casting on for the same hat in a much softer yarn. still reading snippets from this wonderful book daily.

i am confident that, going forward, i will be able to maintain what i've been not-so-voluntarily practing over the past couple of weeks. going out yesterday just to refill our water bottles, drop off recycling, and go for a swim at the Y felt like a huge treat. it was more than enough to make me feel like i had a great day, but i had three more walks to add to that. each day, i feel a little less resistance. i'm sure there will be setbacks, but i will deal with them as they arise. 

i wanted to share something from that book with you today. by the way, the rest of my day looks to be spent mainly knitting, along with hopefully a swim at the beach. i never did go the other day. it's been weirdly cloudy here lately, a bit too off for swimming for my liking. 

anyway, here it is :: 

do the best you can, whatever arises

be at peace with yourself

find a job you enjoy

live in simple conditions; housing, food, clothing; get rid of clutter

contact nature every day; feel the earth under your feet

take physical exercise through hard work; through gardening or walking

don't worry; live one day at a time

share something every day with someone else; if you live alone, write someone; give something away; help someone else somehow

take time to wonder at life and the world; see some humor in life where you can

observe the one life in all things

be kind to the creatures

this week for me:: grocery shopping. going through extra stuff to declutter and prep to move to the new house (we can start moving stuff in tomorrow). going to a blueberry festival. wedding shower thrown by my future MIL in New Jersey at my favorite Indian restaurant. And, in between, moving slowly and with intent. one intention :: begin a short daily home yoga practice to work out some longstanding kinks in my body. i resist this. it's time to let go and do it for my health. 

wishing you a peaceful week ahead. try spreading out those "to do" lists over the course of a week, or even two. it's just amazing what does NOT need to be done all in one day. very freeing, too.