I decided that Rhythm would be my WOTY and one way I'm trying to establish a rhythm is by keeping a very brief daily diary, to watch for daily and weekly patterns to develop and to be intentional about keeping the good ones going. I've usually posted right near the last day of the month, but that rhythm is a bit off this time around because we were out of town for a few days.
**************************
October begins! What traditions will be part of our October and autumn rhythm? Celebrating birthdays and anniversaries is a feature of our October as we have two birthdays and an anniversary in our immediate family, and three birthdays and another anniversary in the extended family. We also maintain the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving near the Canadian date of the holiday, even though it's now been thirty years since we lived in Canada! At the beginning of the month, as I'm writing this, I'm not quite sure how we'll celebrate this year, just that we will.
Week One - This first week was just a regular rhythm of work and church as usual, but we did have one really exciting drum solo thrown in . . . On Friday night we went to the Twenty One Pilots concert! So much fun! Pretty sure we were the oldest people there that were not chaperoning minors, but I maintain that it just means I'm especially cool for my age! So whenever their live album comes out, just realize that I'm one of the crowd in Columbus singing along. Saturday morning we slept really late and did a little work around the house but I was a little disappointed in myself for my laziness.
The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. The weather has been gorgeous though, for the most part. I love the sunrises I get to see, even though it's so aggravating when I have to drive directly into the sun, so it seems, on my commute to work. Even though the weather is almost summery, the evenings are cool enough that I'm craving the cozy vibe of autumn. As it turns out I'm more willing to join hubby and binge-watch a favorite show on evenings at home. We either watch hockey or we're watching Only Murders In The Building.
Week Two - We were on worship team at church, and after the service, we went to our favorite Asian restaurant with our 55+ Dinner Club. We had time for a good nap in the afternoon, then headed down to Ashville to meet an online friend and her husband for dinner. We've known each other in online spaces for around twenty years, but this was the first time we'd met in person! How fun to visit over dinner and get to know them a little better. The weekdays followed our regular rhythm pattern of work and the usual evening activities of chorus on Monday and church on Wednesday. We had hubby's car worked on this week, and I took mine to the car wash so it could be worked on. On Saturday morning we joined a group from church in picking up food pantry donations, then grabbed a takeout lunch and bought our own groceries. Our son and his family came in the evening for our non-traditional "Thanksgiving" dinner of smoked meat loaf. We celebrated his birthday by taking them out for ice cream after dinner.
Week Three - Another week starting with a Sunday of worship team and church and then a lazy afternoon and evening at home. Did a little cleaning and hubby played hockey. Monday the 14th was Thanksgiving in Canada, but we'd celebrated on the weekend so it was just another work day and chorus in the evening. On Tuesday evening we had tickets to the home opener Blue Jackets game which was a lot of fun, but also bittersweet as we paid tribute to Johnny Gaudreau. On Thursday we hurried home from work, did a really quick job of packing and then hit the road to Ontario. So this weekend had a little different rhythm since we had Friday off. We spent time on Friday and Saturday with family and visited some friends, and stopped in at a school reunion pub night.
Paused ot the midway point of the month to think about what I wanted to do before the end of the month and came up with this very general list: go for walks and drives to see fall color, bake bread and desserts, spend time and play games with family, catch up with friends.
Week Four - Even though we were on vacation, we got up fairly early on Sunday but instead of going to church, we drove down to St Catharines to pick up my parents. They are coming back to Ohio with us for a two week visit! There was quite a long wait at the border, but then we had a lovely drive along the lake back home. Sadly, my voice was fading fast, and without any real reason. In a real disruption to the rhythm of the week, I woke up with NO voice at all on Monday. Like zero. Obviously I didn't have to answer any calls at work, but unfortunately there was no point in my going to chorus. No other symptoms though. Tuesday was more of the same, and I did stop in at Urgent Care and they couldn't find any evidence of infection or anything so I guess that's good? Our son and his family came for dinner and to spend time with Gramma and Papa. My voice gradually started coming back in the following days, but I also had some really minor bronchitis symptoms. We had relaxed evenings at home with Mom and Dad, working on puzzles and playing some Scrabble. On Friday evening we went out for dinner. On Saturday morning our plan was to go to early voting after breakfast but when we got there the parking lot and the line was so full and so long that we gave up on that, as we had other plans for the day. We went to Rocky Fork to walk in the autumn woods, then drove to Mansfield and ate at a train car diner.
Week Five - Went to church and then had a big lunch at home. Hubby played hockey in the afternoon, and in the evening we watched hockey on TV and played Scrabble. The beginning of the week was mostly the usual rhythm, at least at work. We went to the German restaurant Hofbrauhaus for dinner on Monday night, and on Tuesday night our son and his family came over again. That night we celebrated our granddaughter's birthday. Wednesday was another day to hurry home from work and quickly pack to head out for a few days' vacation. We had planned to take Mom and Dad to spend time with the Maryland kids. We arrived late Wednesday night. We had a curious last day of October for sure. After a leisurely morning at home, we decided to go on a shopping trip. We left in two vehicles, a few minutes apart. Our son's vehicle was struck by a driver who went through a stop sign and the vehicle was totaled. Praise God, no one was hurt! But Landon and Meaghan had all the insurance mess to deal with and have to find a new vehicle now. I hope it was also a blessing to them that we were there to help out with the practical matters of taking everyone back home, taking them to pick up their rental car, and just lending some support and calm. We ended the evening with a delicious dinner and played some games.
How did I do on my to-do list? We did walk and drive through some beautiful fall colors. I didn't get anything baked, but Mom and I did make kjielkje (like spaetzle) and rullkuchen (sort of like beignets) when we were in Maryland. My two-year-old granddaughter even helped! We had lots of opportunities to spend time together with the family. Mom and Dad and I played several games of Srabble, and we made it through an entire dominoes tournament with the kids. We did see friends while in Ontario, but did not have time to see anyone in Maryland on this trip.
**************************
Rhythm is my Word of The Year for 2024 because I realized I'd need to adjust my routines and work on my time management as I started a full time work schedule, and I couldn't be striving or fighting all the time - I need to establish a healthy, balanced rhythm to my days and weeks. And additionally, in the last part of 2023, I felt like God had really been speaking to me about the subject of Sabbath, and that he was inviting me to be more intentional about practicing and celebrating a Sabbath rhythm in my life. Here's my WOTY post to explain: WQ - Rhythm Inspires
©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/
This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
