Life in Pencil “Moment of the Week”
Posted by Anne
Guess what? We need you!
Guess why! We’re compiling your greatest hits of the week—your Life in Pencil hits, that is. Let me explain…
We are constantly rewriting our lives, in big ways and small. Sometimes it’s easy to focus on the big revisions and forget about the little ones, which are often far more important than the life-altering ones. Whether you changed a routine or changed the world, we want to read about your “Life in Pencil Moment of the Week.” We want to know how you erased and revised a piece of your life during the past seven days. And more importantly, we want to know how you managed and regrouped. Were you grace under pressure, or the opposite? Were you able to erase your existing plans, or did you clutch your pen (or Blackberry), hoping you could stick to life’s schedule?
Email us and we’ll compile the greatest hits to share with you—our readers—next Friday the 28th. In so doing, we’ll learn from each other, and perhaps feel slightly more normal at the end of our weeks. No moment is too small or too big, and there are no right answers or winners. Just you.
As a bonus, here are THREE from my past week. (Fear not…you only need submit one…and they can be short, people…I’m wordy.)
Moment # 1:
Husband acquires either a) a 24-hour flu bug, or b) some really nasty food poisoning. He is thoroughly worthless, and can’t peel himself off the bathroom floor, much less make it half a mile down the road to procure some Gatorade. So, in spite of a packed schedule, I stay home to nurse him back to health. It feels totally lame to miss work because you’re caring for a sick husband, but…I do it anyway. It screws with my day. It screws with my week. I miss an important meeting at work. And I LOVE our day together. I feed him toast and saltines, and top off his Gatorade. I tuck him under blankets, and he totally eats up the attention. It was a sweet day. Good thing, because I got sick two days later.
Moment #2:
Sunday morning, and I’m not feeling Church-y. I’m not in a contemplative worship-like spirit. I feel like doing rather than thinking, which is highly unusual for me. (I spend an inordinate amount of time in my head.) And that’s when I remember the e-mail sitting in my inbox from a Church friend who’s organizing a project. A project that’s supposed to take place that very day. She and her adorable daughters are making utility tarps for Haiti out of plastic grocery bags. At the last minute, I decide to chuck the regular Church service and iron together plastic grocery bags instead. In case you’re wondering, it’s an incredibly satisfying task…if a little stinky with all the melting plastic.
Moment #3:
(Note: Moment #3 is here to remind you that these “moments of the week” need not be cosmic or substantial. No major life lessons need to be learned. Rewriting your day in tiny ways is legit.)
It’s Wednesday morning, and I’m convinced our shih-tzu ATE a pair of my underwear. It wreaks havoc on my morning, and on my husband’s day. There is no upside to the suspicion that your 14 lb dog may have eaten a thong. All you can do is take him to the vet, rework your day, and laugh later. Which is exactly what we did. (And no, turns out he didn’t eat it.)
Okay, now it’s your turn! Throughout the next week, keep track of those Life in Pencil moments, and send them on over! Tune in Friday the 28th for a recap of the greatest hits.
May 20th, 2010 at 4:17 am
My Life in Pencil moment has not yet occurred so will be rewritten many times between now and Saturday, I believe. I have plans to get away Saturday. One day without kids (mine are almost all adults now so, no, I am not deserting children) can be a huge refresher. I had the day all planned out. Now I am replanning. I am thinking of blowing off the CD release party as it is so late and I don’t want to be driving really late. I do want to get to another location to meet a friend’s friend who is visiting. So, for right now, one change in my penciled life has come. Question is – how many more will take place?
May 20th, 2010 at 6:13 am
Love it! I’m sure I have LiP moments all the time. Just need to jot them down. Stay tuned for my submissions!
May 20th, 2010 at 9:09 am
Getting to goal at Weight Watchers on Tuesday was awesome, but nothing compared to coming home to my husband and kids singing, “Congratulations to you, congratulations to you! Congratulations, SKINNY MOMMY . . .” They had cards, signs and an I Love Lucy marathon planned in my honor. My kids are always supportive of Mommy meeting goals, as most kids are. But this day was orchestrated by my husband. This was a big moment for me because I have known people who are resentful of their spouses moving forward in life, people whose marriages couldn’t handle someone making more money, having more professional or spiritual growth. Sometimes it’s easier to love someone when they’re down and out than when they “pass you up.” It made me think about all the times in my chubier days when I rolled my eyes at people running on Sunday mornings or people who gave up white flour. I talked about how I was enjoying life and they were shallow. I wasn’t the kind of person my husband is. It’s honoring and humbling at the same time . . .
May 20th, 2010 at 10:06 am
What a great idea! Thanks for inviting us to join in, to recognize and appreciate the LIP moments in our days.
I love what Nicki alludes to: there is a great hopefulness and promise in believing your LIP moment hasn’t come yet, that it’s just over the horizon.
May 20th, 2010 at 10:56 am
Amy—congratulations. That’s a great accomplishment, and you’re obviously so thoughtful about the whole process and what this particular “reinvention” means to you. thanks so much for sharing:)
May 20th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
PS. I’m not sure I want to admit this, but my shih tzu loves my underwear. Totally impolite of her, but it makes me feel better if it’s just a “dog thing.”
May 22nd, 2010 at 12:43 pm
My pug loves my underwear too — no one elses, just mine. It must be a dog thing. Will send Life in Pencil moment(s) along. Great idea.