Creative writing; a walk on a new trail; with my six year old and three year old when I’m not being a curmudgeon.

Community and the theorizing, discussing, planning, and perhaps even building of community.

I can reflect before I speak (or email). I can be more precise in my word choices so that I’m not unnecessarily heavier, draining, or frustrating — taking more effort and energy than needed — from those I am communicating with. I am presuming that those I am communicating with are folks I treasure.

Evening Prayers. Though I used to do regular morning prayers from a psalter pre-pandemic. I should pick that up again.

Sitting and silence for a few minutes in the evening helps. To some extent this, focus on gratitude in the morning helps too. I’ll have to keep examining what practices I am doing but not identifying.

Maturity. Maturity is the tall, wide, trunk of a tree and one cannot get that healthy, tall, wide, trunk without a little time, and without good roots that hold it in place, and drink up the life giving water under the soil; roots that enable maturity include patience, love, kindness, discretion, knowledge, and light-heartedness.

Go for a walk (sans music); go for a quiet walk. “But I cannot, I have X, Y, Z, to do.” And I should respond, I will do X, Y, Z for you. Go take 30 minutes to walk.

Dreams.

My sins and the systems of my life, which I control, which facilitate sin. Hard to demand an improvement of the world, of others, when I have yet to remove that rod in my own eye.

Not projecting my stress unto others and knowing that I can set a better example by being tender than tense.

My conscience and my impetuous nature often conspire together to rouse or awaken me to service.

To do and to be of abundance. Believe and act with the perspective of abundance. Where else can the Spirit come from except from abundance? Living whoelheartedly is living abundantly in thought word and action.

Not as many folks as I ought, and while it may come off as perfunctory or proforma, certainly I’ve expressed love to my children and wife.

I’m not sure impetuousness is a feeling but certainly the “disapproval,” “certitude,” “stubborn,” and “anger” that barge through the door which impetuousness opens need some honest exploration.

I have feeling of “contentment,” “simplicity,” and “joy” too. While they’re of equal value in an exploration, the priority is probably on these feelings that are most fraught with peril.

Opinions are important, as I think they can point out our thinking (it’s illumination and its unlit spaces). But feelings and ideas are more important than opinions and I do not think opinions are essential but they sure seem natural.

I am surprised at how the good and the not-good (bad) co-mingle in my heart and how stress lays down the welcome mat to each; how each is invited to participate any every decision. Surprised at how much not-good I posses, I don’t wish to minimize the propensity for poor decision making but I’m also surprised at how accessible the good is, even when cajoled by stress.