Harvest

For the past couple of days it has felt like fall. I may have had something to do with it when I said how much I was looking forward to wearing my sweaters and boots in the middle of the heat wave. Bam! Chilly mornings and cool nights.

It's refreshing after the blistering heat we had in July. Note: I do not lament the summer heat. I love every season in New England and the heat has been bearable and lovely summer glory. Being from Oklahoma I know that real heat is the 100F+ degrees for weeks on end is more brutal than 80F & 90F even with the high humidity.

This brush with fall weather reminds me that I need to plant sweet potatoes and harvest my compost.

I really love porch time. The last week of July S. slumber partied with me and the next morning we had some porch time together. I love porch time with good friends. We did a little compost trial-harvest  to plant my long overdue cilantro seeds. Why it took me all summer one will never know, but now I'll have cilantro all autumn long.

Watching things grow is beautiful. There is always a little fear at first that nothing will sprout and then 2 weeks later you have food. Plus a new living thing to care for. A pastor once said that the seeds had to die and begin decomposing before they would grow. I like that. When we start something new there is often the fear that it won't bring life. Just wait. Often something else may have to die for the new life to begin. An interesting thought I'm going to sit with over coffee on my porch.

August has been a whirlwind, maybe someday I'll write about it. I've been hanging on tight to Galatians 5 (July 9, I Never). While I thought I needed more kindness and gentleness in my life, the Spirit is taking me on an epic journey of patience.

The 31 things for July are far from complete: I have come no where near going to bed before midnight regularly, I talked to no old friends from High School, no letters were written, there was no time for 7 straight days of yoga, I haven't pierced my nose yet and my bedroom redecoration has been minimal. However, I did have a really great July pushing myself to think in new ways about how I use my time. And I'll just keep doing the things I set out to do so it will always be July in my mind.

"There the world began over again every day in an ever new light. O light! This is the cry of all the characters of ancient drama brought face to face with their fate. This last resort was ours, too, and I knew it now. In the middle of winter I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer."  - - Albert Camus from Return To Tipasa

with love & patience.
t

I don't need you, cute dress

This is NOT news: I have a LOT of clothes.

So for July I decided a new* thing would be to buy no new clothes at all for a month. For you who are minimalists, you probably won't understand the self control this takes. It's natural for you. For me, it's a bit of effort.

When I'm traveling, I barely buy anything since you have to carry it all with you, but in the city I buy clothes as a hobby, not as a need. I buy bags and dresses and pants and t-shirts and belts, take them home to have private fashion show. Then I return everything I don't fall helplessly in love with. Sometimes I return it all. I buy things and wear them constantly. Sometimes I buy an item that I won't wear for years and then suddenly I live in it every single day.

Shopping in a tiny way feeds my creativity. But it can be a lazy, false creativity. I want the real thing. Hence no new clothes month.

“For years now I've kind of operated under an informal shopping cycle. A bit like a farmer's crop rotation system. Except, instead of wheat, maize, barley, and fallow, mine pretty much goes clothes, makeup, shoes, and clothes (I don't bother with fallow). Shopping is actually very similar to farming a field. You can't keep buying the same thing, you have to have a bit of variety. Otherwise you get bored and stop enjoying yourself.” 

― Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic

Yesterday strolling around town with my girlfriend R. and her sister and I found myself on day 8 in Macy's sifting through unmentionables and kitchen appliances. I'm not addicted to shopping. I don't get hand tremors if I go a week without new shoes. But I was consciously thinking the entire time "I don't need you cute dress...sparkley necklace...on sale blender...espresso maker..." I made it out sans shopping bags.

Heading to the train after church I ended up in an amazing conversation with another friend M. standing outside the station. The sun completely set as we discussed the sermon about what we need. The text was Galatians 5:19-26 and what we need is fruit. Our pastor led us through this exercise:

{Listening Prayer}

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

1. Read passage & ask: Which fruit is most evident in my life?
2. Silent listening. 
3. Prayer: Thank you God for this gift of your Spirit.
4. Read passage again & ask: Which fruit do I most desire in my life?
5. Silent listening. 
6. Prayer: Thank you God for speaking to me. Show me someone who exhibits the fruit I desire. Is there a person I can talk to about how they cultivate this fruit in their life?

The exercise is simple. Almost too simple. The depths of what God reveals in the simple silences and stillness when we listen are richer than anythings else we can desire. So I'm left pondering what I really want and it's definitely not a dress.

love,
t


*I am just going to go ahead and be the judge of what I consider new and stretch the limits a little where I want.