some isolation lessons
i decided to do my own personal sunday service today. i put on a dress, did my make up, put on earrings, but i didn't shave my legs. haha. i opened by singing 'if you could hie to kolob'. it was nice to sing but my voice was really out of practice. i don't even talk that much these days, living alone. my voice was particularly rusty on the lower notes but it was only me who would be bothered by that. worshiping by song is one of the truest ways for me to worship. it feels natural and like coming home. then i read the new instructions and yadda yadda from the church about worship and ordinances during the pandemic or other disasters. then i sang "he died, the great redeemer died" and read aloud the sacrament prayers and took a moment to ponder them like i would during sacrament service. it's funny, because i was sitting in a dress at a messy table jumbled high with remnants of many projects, bills, shells, rocks, knick knack etc, in a messy kitchen full of dishes piled high and precariously and flour everywhere (another story) and i was reading the words on my phone, but that moment felt just as sacred soft and holy as sitting in my pew in the chapel. the spirit was a warmth all around me. it has taken me 46 years to understand 'burning in the bosom'. i think i'm beginning to understand it now. then i sang "i know that my redeemer lives" and read helaman 5:12 "and now, (laura), remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation where on if men build they cannot fall." i closed with ' god moves in a mysterious way'. these are the words:
"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Ye fearful Saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan his works in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain."
i didn't plan any of it. i just went as i felt. and it was good.
so my kitchen was a disaster. on friday for our social which we hold on facebook live, we made salty dough and cut out shapes and baked them, and painted them. the idea is to make a garland you can hang in your window or something. as i was doing it i had mishap with my flour. first of all my lower cuppboard is a gong show. it's a really big cavern with only a half shelf to divide it. i can't get to it easily because the door opens right beside the stove. i have to kind of lean over the door and reach inside. so on the bottom of the cavern is all my pots and pans and bowls. on the little half shelf is where i keep my flour canisters. i was putting the flour back on it's shelf when the half shelf tipped and some flour dumped out on the pots and pans below. i didn't want to deal with it yet so i left it and finished working on my dough art. of course i had dishes on the counter and a bag with my compost scraps and cat food cans that needed to be recyled and the counter was covered in flour from making the dough.
then i went grocery shopping. navigating the kitchen was like navigating a mine field. all the surfaces were covered with leaning towers of pots etc. but if i have learned anything during this time of covid isolation, it is these 3 things: 1. chunking--break up a task in small manageable bits. it will be done before you know it and it won't overwhelm you--i mean me. 2. organizing a mess--it may just be me. but when i organize a mess it is way less daunting than a huge jumble of messy whatnots. sometimes this is a simple as stacking bowls and plates and pots and pans. suddenly i see that it isn't that much. this is probably a kind of chunking. 3. wipe the counter--this is a new one for me. the simple act of wiping the counter of all it's crumbs and, in this case flour, whatever is there--just makes such a big difference. it's an ease on my eyes and it feels like half the battle is already done.
other isolation lessons:
4. time for creativity makes all the difference in keeping me sane and happy.--i've been making books, painting dough hearts out on my porch, and making food that's fun, exciting, and wows my own tastebuds. i love finding little extra touches that make my eyes pop with pleasure. food is so fun. i definitely spending all my extra money on food. yesterday i read through my favourite cookbook 'plenty more' by the genius and chef crush ottolenghi and marked all the recipes i wanted to make. there were a lot. ottolenghi's recipes take time so what better time to try them out? i made quite the ambitious list of recipes to try this week or two....however long it goes before i run out of food. i hope it's 2 because this is an expensive hobby. this is my list of recipe to dos: 1. eggplant cheese cake--i'm so excited about this one! a savoury cheesy cake! i'm in! 2. raw beet salad--his salads are the most divine. he's shown me the light so many times on how vegetables can be elevated to something divine. 3. spicy scrambled eggs and 4. roasted onions with walnut salsa--these looked divine!
5. connecting with beloveds packs a nutrient punch in a time of isolation. thankful for the riches i have in loved ones.
ps the birds are back, reconstructing their nest over the drain pipe in earnest. i'm sitting at the kitchen table typing this as the old lady (izzy) is curled up on the couch and one of them flew into my porch area, and perched on my shelf and peeked at me through the window. i was just about to take it's picture when it flew away. isn't this always the way it goes?
on this day in history:
april 19 2016--it was my last day in istanbul. i wandered the streets and ate cheap yummies from food carts. some how i found this mosqu with a cool ottoman graveyard and a view of the city. that afternoon i flew to cappadocia and marveled in my cave hotel and experienced the wonder awe and reverence of the whirling dervish at the caravanserai from the 1300s, i think it was. it was a special day and one of the only days no one tried to flirt with me....actually that's not true. that night after coming back from the whirling dervishes i went to eat something and on the way back i met the guys who hang out on the stoop on the corner where i passed by to go to my cave hotel. one of them spoke good english and was a little flirty with me. touched my earrings and invited me to a 'private tour' etc. but all in all those were nice guys and i sat with them for a while and chatted.
april 19, 2018--it was the day i arrived in morocco. almost 48 hours of no sleep but lots of adventure and a looooong train ride to marrakech. anas told me that after that train ride he made a decision to always take the bus, lol.
april 19, 2019--was michealah's wedding day. and it was special, magical, rainy, beautiful, heart warming and exhausting. happy anniversary mikaykay!
"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Ye fearful Saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan his works in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain."
i didn't plan any of it. i just went as i felt. and it was good.
so my kitchen was a disaster. on friday for our social which we hold on facebook live, we made salty dough and cut out shapes and baked them, and painted them. the idea is to make a garland you can hang in your window or something. as i was doing it i had mishap with my flour. first of all my lower cuppboard is a gong show. it's a really big cavern with only a half shelf to divide it. i can't get to it easily because the door opens right beside the stove. i have to kind of lean over the door and reach inside. so on the bottom of the cavern is all my pots and pans and bowls. on the little half shelf is where i keep my flour canisters. i was putting the flour back on it's shelf when the half shelf tipped and some flour dumped out on the pots and pans below. i didn't want to deal with it yet so i left it and finished working on my dough art. of course i had dishes on the counter and a bag with my compost scraps and cat food cans that needed to be recyled and the counter was covered in flour from making the dough.
then i went grocery shopping. navigating the kitchen was like navigating a mine field. all the surfaces were covered with leaning towers of pots etc. but if i have learned anything during this time of covid isolation, it is these 3 things: 1. chunking--break up a task in small manageable bits. it will be done before you know it and it won't overwhelm you--i mean me. 2. organizing a mess--it may just be me. but when i organize a mess it is way less daunting than a huge jumble of messy whatnots. sometimes this is a simple as stacking bowls and plates and pots and pans. suddenly i see that it isn't that much. this is probably a kind of chunking. 3. wipe the counter--this is a new one for me. the simple act of wiping the counter of all it's crumbs and, in this case flour, whatever is there--just makes such a big difference. it's an ease on my eyes and it feels like half the battle is already done.
other isolation lessons:
4. time for creativity makes all the difference in keeping me sane and happy.--i've been making books, painting dough hearts out on my porch, and making food that's fun, exciting, and wows my own tastebuds. i love finding little extra touches that make my eyes pop with pleasure. food is so fun. i definitely spending all my extra money on food. yesterday i read through my favourite cookbook 'plenty more' by the genius and chef crush ottolenghi and marked all the recipes i wanted to make. there were a lot. ottolenghi's recipes take time so what better time to try them out? i made quite the ambitious list of recipes to try this week or two....however long it goes before i run out of food. i hope it's 2 because this is an expensive hobby. this is my list of recipe to dos: 1. eggplant cheese cake--i'm so excited about this one! a savoury cheesy cake! i'm in! 2. raw beet salad--his salads are the most divine. he's shown me the light so many times on how vegetables can be elevated to something divine. 3. spicy scrambled eggs and 4. roasted onions with walnut salsa--these looked divine!
5. connecting with beloveds packs a nutrient punch in a time of isolation. thankful for the riches i have in loved ones.
ps the birds are back, reconstructing their nest over the drain pipe in earnest. i'm sitting at the kitchen table typing this as the old lady (izzy) is curled up on the couch and one of them flew into my porch area, and perched on my shelf and peeked at me through the window. i was just about to take it's picture when it flew away. isn't this always the way it goes?
on this day in history:
april 19 2016--it was my last day in istanbul. i wandered the streets and ate cheap yummies from food carts. some how i found this mosqu with a cool ottoman graveyard and a view of the city. that afternoon i flew to cappadocia and marveled in my cave hotel and experienced the wonder awe and reverence of the whirling dervish at the caravanserai from the 1300s, i think it was. it was a special day and one of the only days no one tried to flirt with me....actually that's not true. that night after coming back from the whirling dervishes i went to eat something and on the way back i met the guys who hang out on the stoop on the corner where i passed by to go to my cave hotel. one of them spoke good english and was a little flirty with me. touched my earrings and invited me to a 'private tour' etc. but all in all those were nice guys and i sat with them for a while and chatted.
Comments
I also again, just love your positive attitude! I would love to try some of your recipes. Creativity is important during this time and I'm having a hard time creatively finding ways to be creative. Keep recording your creative endeavors! You inspire me.
April 19th is such a special day. Your Morocco pictures look like a dream. I love the colours in both the Turkey and Morocco pictures. The travel part of traveling is so unbelievably exhausting but is always worth it in the end. Thanks for being such a big part of my special day. We considered (briefly and not seriously) not eating for our anniversary as a tribute to that exhausting day. I feel honoured to be featured in your blog!
Have you managed to get into a sleep routine? I relate to you whenever you write about your sleep habits. Mine just aren't so extreme... but very, easily similar.