Monday, November 01, 2010

NaBloPoMo: What the Eff?

Because I have apparently lost my damn mind, I am going to do NaBloPoMo here and at Harrytimes 365 this month. I am also working full time teaching a class I have never taught before and writing a scholarly book. Oh and I have 2 kids. And, yeah. I am also writing a novel this month-- 50,000 words in 30 days.

I told you guys that we have started going to a Unitarian church, right? Well, over the last month, Ben and I took new member classes, and a couple of weeks ago we signed the membership book and became official members.

We came to a UU congregation because it seemed like a good compromise between Christianity and Judaism, a place where our kids could attend religious education classes and believe in something larger than Santa and the Tooth Fairy. What I found was a place to help me answer the big questions-- why are we here? What is "the good"? What happens when we die? You know, those questions.

I have started to understand that some of my ongoing anxiety issues stem from these questions and that the answers begin to lie in the practice of living mindfully. So that's what I am going to do here for the next 30 days. Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, fat kid that I am, so this month, I am going to post things I am grateful for. Well, not things in the material sense. Moments. Lived experience. Everyday interactions.

On Saturday, listening to a lovely reflection on reimagining the sacred, I realized how thankful I should be for the unremarkable days, the ones that start the same and end the same and feature the same routine crammed in the middle-- the days that everyone says go so fast even though they seem to linger for more than 24 hours.

This month I will revel in the beauty of my ordinary life.

8 comments:

  1. I need to figure out whether I'm doing NaBlo or not. I already feel like I'm barely making it!

    Your church sounds wonderful.

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  2. Anonymous9:13 AM

    sounds like you are having a positive experience finding the meaning of life (and family ) without anyone putting their"God" on you..I'm very proud of what you are experiencing and the effect on the kids...Bomma

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  3. If I weren't a Mormon, I'd probably be a Unitarian. Figuring out the answers to those tough questions questions brings a lot of peace and stability. The spiritual journey doesn't end; it is a constant effort of self-exploration, self-awareness and adjustment. I hope you find your journey fulfilling.

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  4. When you aren't slaving over a post a day and 50,000 words, pick up Gift of the Ordinary Day, by Katrina Kennison. Really good stuff...
    Yay November!!

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  5. I think it's so interesting that you're attending a Unitarian church. We are thinking about visiting one even though we were raised in similar faiths... I'm just looking for something a little different in a church and I feel like a broader way of seeking answers might be precisely that. Good luck on all of your projects!

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  6. You are CRAZY!

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  7. Love this. A couple books that I've turned to a few times to ponder the big questions in the framework of faith are Max Lucado's In the Grip of Grace and C.S. Lewis's classic Mere Christianity. I'm sure they'd be excellent on iPad :)

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  8. I love this. Love it!

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