Today, then, I'm joining Masha! Join in over at Piękno, or leave your own sensory notes in the combox...
Today I am...
Feeling... affirmed. And kind of weirdly happy. There's that scene in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone where Harry jumps on a broomstick for the first time, and rushes up into the wind, and all of a sudden he realizes he's found something he can just do—"this was easy, this was wonderful...." Somehow, despite stage fright and plenty of mistakes and the fact that my knit shirt kept slipping off one shoulder during Mass, I still loved conducting choir this week, and I still felt like I did well considering that it was only my second time behind the music stand for a full liturgy. The latter is partly because I had such fun with it and partly because people kept coming up afterward and saying nice things till I felt like a superstar.
Seeing... evening sun through the panes of the front door. I love July in the Pacific Northwest.
Smelling... mint, oregano, thyme, sage, lavender, and olive oil. Supposedly those all steeped together make a reliable insect repellent. I don't know why the bugs don't like it. It smells fantastic.
Tasting... a mint julep. Complete with maraschino cherry. Courtesy of Lou. The mint smelled so good as I picked it for the repellent that we decided the drinks were necessary.
Listening... to Mozart on King FM. My favorite radio station. They rock.
Grateful... for summer weather.
Reading... oh, gosh, I don't even know. I just finished The Chocolatier's Wife by Cindy Lynn Speer (attempt #2 at reading self-published fantasy; review coming soon). Still haven't picked up the Chesterton novel, but it's in paperback and my Kindle charger just broke, so it's probably next on the list.
Loving... our choir and musical team. Rather madly. In case you couldn't tell. :)
Hoping... for all kinds of things, from more ripe tomatoes soon to more ways to use my little newfound talent.
This is wonderful! I'm so excited for you with the choir directing!!! It sounds like such a wonderfully fun ego boost!
ReplyDeleteBugs have no taste..ours are pretty much immune to everything though..I hope your bugs are more sensitive to scent and environment..
Harry's getting obnoxiously inserted into everything these days isn't he..I found some parts in Sickness Unto Death that just fit So Well with the Harold Bloom discussion, and another bit that totally could have been said by Dumbledore (if he had Kierkegaard's brains ;) )...and Just Wait Til You SEE Seth's drawings for this week!!! .. :)
It is!! Possibly a dangerous ego boost... I keep reminding myself that some of the overwhelming praise was just that people were being nice and encouraging the shy newbie who got a little flustered every time she made an obvious mistake... but... turns out I'm encourageable. ;)
DeleteHaha--Harry totally is getting inserted into everything these days! I'm almost as bad as I was that first year, when I was reading the books over and over... there's always a Harry Potter reference for everything. :D
And I cannot WAIT to see Seth's drawings for this week!!
Jenna, I echo Masha on the choir directing: I'm so happy that you've found such a lovely fit between your talents and service to God and your parish. Always wonderful when God lines things up so nicely in that way. And the analogy Harry's first time on a broomstick is apt, even if it doesn't fit for me with choir directing per say (I need to work for it, to feel like I can let go with directing), it does fit for singing in the choir for me. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd, love that Lou made you a mint julep with freshly picked mint. I think if we loved on the same coast, and relatively near each other, you and Lou and me and my husband Paul would all get along very nicely :) (One of the first uses my Paul made of our fresh mint this year was, you guessed it, mint juleps...)
And Masha, I love that Harry's story is resonating everywhere in your lives. I only wish had time enough to be reading along with you guys so I could share in that. And I can't *wait* for Seth's drawings this week!
*lived on the same coast, though that typo usually can stand for folks like us for which living and loving often go hand in hand :)
DeleteThank you! I definitely have to work somewhat for directing--I count through all the music several times beforehand, and I'm not going to be conducting Beethoven's Ninth any time soon... but once I get the rhythm and mood of a song and figure out where the tricky parts are, it feels natural. More so than singing, which I've always had to work hard for. I'm glad you find singing in a choir such a delight--you have a stellar voice for it!
DeleteWHY ARE HALF MY FRIENDS ON THE EAST COAST?! Mint juleps with Lou and I and you and Paul would be lovely!
Nice typo. :D That's one that can be really awkward depending on context... but it works peaceably here!
I love that part in The Philosopher's Stone! Harry Potter is such a fun series!
ReplyDeleteYou sound like you are LOVING directing the choir! I bet you are very good at it too!