by the book

I keep trying to improve my life through the books I read. As if I will resolve my spiritual ambivalence, establish a career path, and lose 15 pounds via literature. As if by ingesting someone else's life I will more completely inhabit my own.

So I'm putting the books down. I barely have time to read these days anyway. Perhaps my life would be better lived by doing something in those minutes and hours that are my own.

Back in April, I posted "the six." But now, Baby N is 7 months old and the range of what I can do for myself has expanded. The six of April are a matter of course in August. Here are six new daily activities that I hope will help me to embody the life I want.

1. diet - as in a healthy one - protein, veggies, hearty carbs, occasional treats. Ice cream was an excellent supper when I was nursing. Now, it's an indulgence that I'm eating more often than I'm enjoying it
2. food diary - what do I eat, when, and how do I feel when I eat it
3. physical therapy - am and pm - I need to heal the damage from giving birth before I can look ahead to strengthening and shaping my body
4. craft - work on a project - coloring, crochet, & embroidery are three faves
5. the j-o-b - be assertive & graceful - by scheduling meetings, creating agendas, facilitating discussions, disseminating information, following-up on action items, and organizing our CEO
6. pray - daily - lighting a candle & thinking about someone while I color counts, praying while walking to work counts, praying for healing in my body while I complete the morning & evening exercises counts

Just like in April, I accept that they won't all get done every day, but keeping them in mind means that they each get done most days. That's where life is lived. In the choices I make, all day long, every day. Setting up the six in my mind shapes the choices I will make and the life that I inhabit through those choices.