Monday, August 8, 2011

How Full Is Your Bucket?

Last week was a good week, never the less, I felt a need to cocoon over the weekend. I spent very little time online, didn't use the phone for other than texting a couple of brief messages to my kids, didn't leave the house even once Saturday or Sunday, dressed in comfy loose clothes, listened to good music that I love, cooked delicious healthy meals, (well mostly healthy, we at red meat 3 days in a row rather than the vegetarian dishes we typically eat, and there were a few treats, it WAS the weekend after all!), I finished reading one book, started reading another, worked in my art journal, started altering a 50 cent composition notebook into a journal, for a round robin that several from our creativity group are doing, made a mini book for a friend's tip in journal page, daydreamed, chatted with Tom, cuddled with my dog Bear, drank tea. It was a mini art retreat for me. I needed to be refilled. The last month took a toll on me even though things went well with work and elsewhere, the toll taken by the sudden shock of the abrupt unexpected ending to our son's marriage and the circumstances surrounding that affected me deeply. The silt in the river is settling after the flood of tears, fears and questions.

I needed a weekend to "fill my bucket". While I do enjoy art making, there are times when the emotional processing that goes on within me is intense and I need a block of time for myself, quiet time, where no one is making demands on my time, energy or attention, My bucket was empty. Now it's Monday morning and I am feeling renewed and filled once again. I did not feel like going to church yesterday morning, so I didn't. Yes, scandalous for a pastor's wife! ;-) Sometimes I think that if I were to write a new resume I would like to add "Bucket Filler, 1951-2011. I do so love Tom Rath's versions of HOW FULL IS YOUR BUCKET? Both the one for adults (while written for the corporate setting, it also applies to family, social, and all interpersonal relationships), and the children's version that I use in my work with families. All of the negative, hurtful, wounding things that we do, and all those things that we experience from others, stem from empty buckets. If we are to fill other's buckets, we need to pay attention to our own buckets, fill them as we are able, and when they're full, slosh some on our neighbor.

Last night Tom cooked dinner on the grill, pork chops, roasted low fat version of potatoes/yellow squash/vidalia onions in the grill pan. I made a garden salad and we had S'Mores for dessert. That sticky chocolate goodness squished between graham crackers. I highly recommend it with Hershey's Dark Chocolate bars rather than Milk Chocolate. What a treat! I hadn't had them or roasted marshmellows in years!

I had a brief exchange of messages on Facebook with Oriah Mountain Dreamer last night. I am using her poem, THE INVITATION, in my round robin journal, and wanted her permission to do so. I do think it's important to ask author's, poets, artists, for permission to use thier work/art when at all possible. Her books have fed me so much during the lean years when my spirit was so hungry. I'd like to think that maybe I put a drop or two in her bucket as well.

Today at noon I'm having lunch with my friend Betti, and another woman Brenda, who is fairly negative. When I stopped by Betti's salon on Friday to make an appointment for myself this week, she invited me to join them. She had decided to fill Brenda's bucket. Hearing what she had planned was a nice addition to my own bucket.

I got a new referral for a family I've worked with before. I'll start working with them again this week. The summer lull will probably start to fill up again, with the new school year starting next month. Lots to put in my bucket between now and then.

Happy Monday!!
Life is good!

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