It seemed many of my friends were busying DOING stuff this weekend. And that's fine, because this week I WAS BUSY DOING STUFF TOO. Humph. I am very important.
I actually kind of burned the candle at both ends Wednesday night so much so that I overslept Thursday morning (eep! Made it to school jussstt in time!) I went to an awesome show with my awesome friends- E and Nicole- and we went to see these guys:
(band= Middle Brother. Made up of members of equally awesome bands- Deer Tick and Dawes who also played).
Funny that I saw a band named 'Middle Brother' because I am teaching about Noah and his sons to my freshmen and inevitably the kids ask, "What about Japheth?" (the middle son). Shem- the practically only oldest son in the Bible who doesn't get screwed out of his inheritance- and Ham of the "Tower of Babel" fame are mentioned at length, leaving the kids (who I can only imagine are middle children themselves) protesting in true "middle child syndrome" fashion.
(ps- 'Middle Child Syndrome' is an actual thing. I'm not making it up.)
Actually, since I was left to my own personal bed-in this weekend due to circumstances beyond my control, I started developing a little bit of middle child syndrome myself. Looking at Facebook can also do this to you. (also not making this up).
We start to wonder- as we look at everybody's pictures of BABIES or WEDDINGS or find that people have crazy, exciting lives with jobs that travel or give them fame- what about us?!
Well, hello there, Middle Brother!? What about us indeed?
Which brings me back to my sit-in.
I have always felt the need, for some reason, to be out and about because sitting home is for "LOSERS" (or so I think in my head). Now, often times I choose to stay in because I've been out the night before (again, I am very important) or am just tired of dealing with papers/teenagers/etc. and need to curl up with a glass of wine and breathe for a second lest I curl up in the fetal position.
But when the sit-in is not self-imposed, I start to wonder- what's wrong? Why is everybody else out having a good time without me? (Also, see this fabulous flowchart- ha!)
This is the work of the devil, friends! This weekend's bed-in forced me to not give into temptation, but to exercise PEACE. John and Yoko knew what was up.
Or did they? Was their intention to draw attention to a cause? Or was it a little self indulgent?
These are the thoughts I'm left reflecting on before Lent.
As I mentioned last week, Lent is fast (heh- no pun intended) upon us. This Wednesday! I mentioned some of the resolutions I was tossing around in my head, but I think I've nailed some things down. I mention them to you so you can hold me accountable and maybe we can do some of these in solidarity with one another:
TO DO:
- gonna get back on the Daily Mass train
-stations of the Cross on Fridays (either in private or in community)
- journeying with Teresa of Avila and also the Blessed Mother by praying rosary and doing more spiritual readings/check-ins with these ladies...
GIVING UP:
- GOSSIP.
Yeah, I shamefully admit that this is the sin that does me in. I share this with you very vulnerably, but please DO hold me accountable to it.
I think the Daily Mass thing and journeying with the Blessed Mother will surely help me in fasting from the gossip. I also am going to try, in substituting the gossip, with reaching out to people more. Fasting from myself, really.
The past couple years I've been trying to build myself up from a life change. I finally got the job I wanted, but now I've been wrapped up in it and perhaps focusing too much time on my work and studies. These things have to happen, but my little sit-in made me realize there's a time for self, and a time for others. A time for studies, and a time for parties :) A time for...
wow...it's gone back to 60s love-ins, hasn't it?
Happy Lent, everyone! I take solace in the fact that we are all in this together ;)
Peace,
Julia
1 comment:
We had the correct concepts back then; just didn't always have the matching behaviors.
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