Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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Commencing Training

   Oh my goodness, friends… After joking and dreaming about the possibilities of it for a few months, today I step boldly and sweatily into the half-marathon training program for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon later this Spring. Between now and April 28, my goals are twofold:

  • To be conditioned to run 13.1 miles at a reasonable pace.
  • To do so in front of lots of other human beings without having a nervous breakdown.

   I am more optimistic about the first half of this venture than the second. Of course, losing a little curvy padding around my posterior would not hurt my feelings one bit. I won’t lie, “skinny” is always on my radar. And running just a few times a week has made a nice difference there and all through my life.

   But the good news in the vanity department is that by making running a true habit, a regular fixture in my life, being skinny has taken a back seat. No pun intended. hahaha

   The more I run, the better I feel instantly. And the less junk my body craves. And the more water I tend to drink. So, the more I run, the more I tend to slim down, naturally. It’s all part of my word for this year, STRENGTH.

    Anyway, the program includes more than running. Twice a week I am supposed to incorporate strength training and stretching, which I’ll interpret as either yoga or Pilates. These are on Mondays and Saturdays, so today I have a date with Jillian Michaels.

   On running days, though, my dusty, sticker-ridden shoes will be tromping around the back field here at the farm, negotiating hills and tree roots, eluding a snotty llama, and keeping beat with a slew of late 90’s rappers.

   Have you started a New Year fitness regimine? Would you like to join me in this perfectly realistic schedule? If you’re local, would you like to do some running around a lake or park soon?

   One final thought before I close up and head outside for an amazing Springlike day in Oklahoma… Edie at {lifeingrace} said this last year of fitness… That it is an excellent servant but a terrible master. I could not agree more. Whatever you do for your body, let it be something that serves you rather than something to which you become a slave yourself. Amen.

   Okay, see you around! I have a 70-degree day to soak up!

“There is a necessity for a regulating discipline of exercise that,
whilst evoking the human energies,
will not suffer them to be wasted.”
~Thomas de Quincey
xoxoxo

Beauty Everywhere

   This week has been equal parts hard work and sweet romance for us. My week days have been split between enjoying rare time with loved ones; caring for these silly animals and lazily monitoring the llama drama; substitute teaching at some local schools; and reading. Also I have had the chance to browse some cool and unusual shops lately, like this one…

   My work is busy, satisfying, and fun. Handsome is working harder than three men every single day, and I could not be prouder of him. If only Oklahoma knew how much effort and expertise goes into turning on our lights an heating our homes. Wow.

   In most ways the hours certainly pass too quickly. Particularly the sunlit ones. Around the Lazy W we are very excited for springtime!

   A few nights ago Handsome and I, fighting the contagious germs all around us, succumbed to a mutual craving for all things comforting and made nachos for dinner then gave ourselves a two-person slumber party in the downstairs Green Room. 
Side Note: 
Our Lazy W “Green Room”has nothing to do with staging for television shows.
It’s just where we watch television and play games. It’s like a den. 
Or, if you’re Heather in Canada, a “snug.”  
But it is green. I mean, the walls are green. Everything else is normal.
I mean, green is normal, but you know what I mean.
   Despite being certified grown ups, we slept on the Green Room floor between a thousand layers of blankets and surrounded by ten thousand different pillows  We might as well have made a sheet fort, really. Then very early the next morning we rose an hour and a half before the sun did and carried hot, perfect coffee outside. We soaked up a nearly silent Hot Tub Summit. The farm, seemingly the entire world, was asleep and ignoring our hushed exchange. Handsome and I braided together our hopes and plans. We talked about his career and my book club. We worried about our parents a little, though we know worry is a mistake. And we built up our defenses against the coming day.
   We have had time for a few projects lately, including this little diddy whereby we have immortalized our most beloved cities on a bunch of reclaimed wood…
   I’ll try to tell some of these stories eventually.

  When I relay our excitement for springtime, I mean it in every sense. I am chomping at the nest-feathering bit to get some extra pretty things accomplished around here!! From deep cleaning to sewing and from decorating to gardening, my project list is growing by the minute. Pinterest can’t even keep up.

   Here are a few things I’ve seen with my own two eyes lately, projects that are DAYS away from becoming part of our own home:

   I adore this eclectic plate display… Notice how it includes both fancy and plain castoffs. Just like the best parties.
   This mixed-up style of container gardening has me enraptured. I love the formal, clipped miniature tree surrounded by a collar of that free-form spilling flower, perhaps allysum. So pretty. Add white lights, and it’s elevated to gorgeous! 
   Also, this used book store which specializes (magically so) in COOKBOOKS has me ridiculously inspired to add even more sparkle and color to our nest. It also reminds me that collections can be out and on display. More white lights too!!
   There’s so much to do you guys. I crave to see things as beautifully as I feel them. Which is very. I intend to use these glorious little swells of time and energy to make stuff happen all around me.

   What about you? What are you reading? How are you spending your time? What projects do you have up your sleeve, and which ones do you barely dare dream about?

  
   Hope your weekend is grand! As I hit “publish” Handsome and I are aimed happily at meeting my dear ol’ Dad, little brother Phil, and Uncle Chris for dinner in the city. One of several fun, loving events we’ve enjoyed this weekend!

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
We must carry it with us or we find it not.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
xoxoxoxo

The Happiness Spell

   Ah, happiness, that elusive and various yet all important butterfly we all pursue.

   Certainly, happiness is something we all seek, no matter our stage or station in life, no matter our circumstances or needs. Happiness isn’t an extra or a luxury in human existence, although we each can attach luxuries to it; it’s just a need with which we are programmed. We are designed to want to be happy, and we each have the tools and capacity to find it, whatever the odds.

   What a broad topic! I’ll try not to be too long winded.

   In Little Women, the March sisters deal a lot with the happiness and its antithesis, envy. Their wise mother Mrs. March has quite a tide to turn in coaching her daughters into a life of gratitude and satisfaction, and I would kinda like to illuminate some of her words here.

   This is said of Meg March, in her youth:

“Poor Meg seldom complained… but a sense of injustice 
made her feel bitter toward everyone sometimes, 
for she had not learned to know how rich she was
in the blessings which alone can make life happy.”

   Don’t you agree? Isn’t envy the perfect opponent to happiness? And doesn’t envy only breed bitterness? I can’t remember where now, but somewhere recently I read that in order to ruin your happiness, you should first ask if you are happy enough. Also, that “comparison is the thief of joy.” I am personally very susceptible to this. I see the difference in my heart and in my relationships when I fight this tide, too. Gratitude and satisfaction seem to walk hand-in-hand. Then joy follows closely behind.

   Jo March, that girl with whom so many young women seem to identify, said this of their great aunt:

“What a pleasant life she might have if she only chose!
I don’t envy her much, in spite of her money,
for after all rich people have about as many worries as poor ones, I think.”

   Does this resonate with you much? Do you ever think that others view your life in such a way that you should be happier than you are? Do you ever think that maybe happiness is available to you, if you could only choose it? Of course, Jo also touches on a really important topic, which is wealth and its relevance or irrelevance to happiness… That’s for another day.

   At the risk of just quoting the whole book to you, here is the parable Mrs. March offers her young girls, as an antidote to their persistent envy and dissatisfaction with life:

“Once upon a time, there were four girls, who had enough to eat and drink and wear,
a good many comforts and pleasures, kind friends and parents who loved them dearly,
and yet they were not contended.
These girls were anxious to be good and made many excellent resolutions, 
but they did not keep them very well, and were constantly saying
‘If only we had this’ or ‘if only we could do that.’ 
Quite forgetting how much they already had 
and how many pleasant things they actually could do.
So they asked an old woman what spell they could use to make them happy,
and she said…
‘When you feel discontented, 
think over your blessings,
and be grateful.”

   The happiness spell. What a cool idea.

   We all seek one, and we all have opinions of its chemistry.

   Just for fun, a couple of days ago I asked my Facebook friends to offer up what makes them happy. The answers they pummeled at me are just as various and touching and fun as the people who offered them!

********************

Handsome said: Chicks, fast cars, money, sunshine, beaches, ocean fish, birds, and “you” (me...) Awww…

Julie said: Route 44 vanilla Coke from Sonic. (Come to think of it, I know lots of people who rely on Sonic ice every day!)

Sunni said: Her kids and sexy shoes on her feet!

Anna Marie said: Family, friends, dogs (who she considers to be family, which I whole heartedly believe!), high heels, red lipstick, and her BED.

Tracy said: Friends, family, nature, babies, chocolate chip cookies, smell of cake batter, seeing others exited!

Charlene said: Family, good honest friends, praying, Thunder basketball, and her honey.

Catherine said: Her babies.

Trisha said: A nice pair of heels, finding greyhounds a home to retire (she and her guy are passionate advocates in OKC, let me know if you’re interested!), her husband, and a pair of jeans that make her look and feel 24 again. (But I can vouch for the fact that she ALWAYS looks great! 24 year old girls would be wise to mimic her jeans...)

Melissa said: Book club, dogs, children laughing.

My sweet laughing babies, when they were still babies, at the OKC Zoo loorikeet exhibit

Mysti said: Full creative license with someone’s hair!! (Mysti recently graduated from hair styling academy and is embarking a fun new career!)

Cindy said: God, her kids, her grand kids, awesome husband, vacations, honesty, great friends, going to Thunder games, and laughter!

Heather said: Her husband’s car coming up the driveway every night.

Halee said: This amazing 75-degree weather in January. OKAY OKAY Halee, we all know San Diego has amaaaaaaazing weather!!!  xoxoxo

This is San Diego in January. Notice how NOT freezing it is.

Cora said: Chocolate! Amen, Cora. Amen.

Serena said: Family.

Deb said: Sunshine. Yes! Sunshine makes me happy too, Deb!! 

********************

   A few observations…

   First, let’s notice how many people said “Thunder basketball.” Apparently it is central to the happiness of lots of salt-of-the-earth folks, and with good reason. The OKC Thunder are just, well, happy-makers.

   Next, we tend to feel happy with or because of our mates, and that’s just wonderful. I feel incredibly fortunate to be married to my best friend and to feel treasured by him, and I love that so many people in my life enjoy the same blessing. True love is REAL, you guys, and it is deeply, sparklingly satisfying! If you’re still looking for it, be happy in your wait and keep believing.

   Did you notice how many women feel happy with little things in life that give us a boost? Like high heels, red lipstick, and sexy jeans? Don’t undersell this, friends. Let’s not pretend that this feeling is unimportant or shallow. It’s a huge part of life, and soaking up the things that make you feel vivacious and desirable is smart. It breeds fun and, yes, happiness.

   Dogs! Fish, birds, and more dogs! Animals make us all happy!! Of course they do. They are conduits for a life force outside of us, or perhaps one that connects us all. Embrace your animals and enjoy them. Give thanks for the happiness they bring.

   What else strikes me is that, overall, we had fun naming the pleasures of life, the stuff that extends beyond basic food and shelter. Nothing terribly exotic, except in my husband’s case LOL, but just simple, beautiful, soul nourishing gifts of this life. We can be happy every day just by appreciating our blessings and embracing small pleasures.

   Thanks so much to those of you who answered my question on Facebook!! What do you think of the answers as a group? What do the rest of you think? What makes you happy, and have you cracked the happiness spell in your own life? I’d really like to know.

   It’s still a cold, dry winter here in Oklahoma, but the bluebird of happiness is flittering everywhere! I hope he visits your home too.

“If you want to be happy, be.”
~Leo Tolstoy
xoxoxoxo
 

Quick Mid-January Update

   How goes your week, friend? Are you clipping along, devouring earthly pleasures and churning out little accomplishments like the superwoman that you are? Are you gleaning insights and deepening relationships as you go? Are you counting your many blessings? I hope so. I hope January has thrust you into light and strength like you have not yet known.

   I have been enjoying a week of both pause and nourishment, a few days to really deeply water my roots in anticipation of a VERY busy couple of months soon to begin! It’s been kind of a breather between the holidays and springtime, and I have loved every delicious moment.

   Right now I am working through distilling my thoughts on Little Women while also reading through the hefty and completely worthwhile Dietrich Bonhoeffer biography. So I am flanked by both sweetness and grit, and it’s perfect.

   The gardens are whispering to me constantly, but it’s still time for them to rest. So I suffice myself with houseplants, seed catalogs, and manure collection. Are you planning your spring gardens yet?? I would love to know what my friends from around the globe can cultivate!

   Physically, my strength resolution is ramping up. In just ten days I begin half-marathon training, and that is pretty darn exciting! In the mean time, I just run as often as time allows, do a sit up here and there, and eat slightly less sugar than I did in December. Baby steps, you know?

   Speaking of resolutions and words, a couple of weeks ago Handsome and I opened the farm for one last bonfire of the holiday season, which turned out to also be our first social gathering of the New Year! It was so much fun. A handful of our friends (from different circles, by the way, which is so cool!) gathered around the fire, tossing in our past year’s regrets and pains into the flames, helping each other let go. We laughed and laughed and ate too many marshmallows. Then we wrote our intentional words for the New Year on a big chalkboard in our stairwell. One of these days I will actually download those photos and share the chalkboard image with you. As a group we came up with some pretty great words!

   I better scoot, but I wanted to wish everyone a very happy end to your week! I hope your first few weeks of this New Year have been good to you and good for you. Keep doing your best and count your blessings! Life is beautiful.

“Let us love winter,
for it is the spring of genius.”
~Pietro Aretino
xoxoxoxo

P.S. A very grateful thanks to my friend and fellow book clubber Erica for sharing this photo she snapped as she pulled into the Lazy W recently. We love our friends and treasure our guests so much! I really appreciate it when you share your joy too. xoxo

 

 
 

How Ducks Got Me Going Today

   Early this morning during Hot Tub Summit, Handsome and I watched with great delight as our three resident Mud Ducks circled low over the farm. They have been visiting the pond tentatively for a few weeks now, staying longer and longer every day. Auditioning us, it would seem, for their winter abode. Finally, they seem to not mind the raucous geese so much, and fortunately the llama has not yet learned that he can swim; so on the water, at least, the ducks are safe.

   They flew with their wings almost overlapping, so perfectly synchronized that they seemed almost to be one bird. Another thing we noticed is that they began their early morning flight long before dawn. The sun was still an hour below the eastern horizon, and our rain-promising clouds were still obscuring what remained of the waning moon. The big forest Owl was still up, too, still sending out his hunger and power into the damp morning.

   All this darkness, all this fog and mist and danger, and still they danced playfully.

   Wishing you all the courage and inspiration you need to get through your day today! Take pleasure in whatever you do. Face your fears. Delight in your blessings. Live fully despite whatever darkness is there. Someone is probably watching who needs your example.

“Love recognizes no barriers. 
It jumps, hurdles, leaps fences, penetrate walls 
to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
~Maya Angelou
xoxoxoxo