Tell Me 'Bout It.

[opening music: "Arms of My Baby," Joss Stone]

1. Getting better. I may not have mentioned it, but I was sick for most of the weekend. Headcold. Allergy-aided. But right now, I'm only dealing with a little bit of head congestion and ear stuffiness. So that's a blessing.

2. Sunday afternoon, I went back home instead of spending the day with my parents and sisters. (They understood; being sick all weekend, my apartment was stuffy, germy, and in need of some cleaning. I was feeling a bit more chipper, so I told them I needed to tackle that task.) On the way home, I decided I was craving Italian food. I ended up going to Olive Garden, and ordering the soup/salad/breadstick combo. Tasty. I topped it off with some tiramisu.

I walked back to the truck feeling pleasantly full and a little sluggish. The sky was overcast but a steady breeze was blowing. I had been reading some Bonhoeffer over lunch. And all in all, I was feeling very contented. When I got in the car, I spent a few minutes thanking God for such a lovely afternoon.

You know, I'm far from where I feel I should be on my spiritual journey, and there are things in my life that I have yet to overcome and move past. But I have been blessed with an acute awareness of how incredible the experience of "life" is, and it makes me constantly thankful to the Giver of all good gifts. He didn't have to make everything so wonderful; that was a bonus for us. Color didn't have to be so vivid; flavor didn't have to be so strong and stimulating; music didn't have to be so beautiful. But He did this for us, to reveal His deep and abounding generosity, and I'm afraid we so often take it for granted.

3. I want to write again. I haven't felt the desire in a while. It's a little strange, but welcome. Now, to put this newfound impetus to good use.

4. I'm going to limit my weeknight TV viewing for the next 3 weeks to 24, Lost, and Smallville. Everything else gets videotaped until some free Saturday in April. While this isn't a terrible sacrifice, it will be an adjustment for me, since I often just watch whatever happens to be on. I'm an incorrigible channel-surfer, even with only the eight locals. So yeah, this should open up a little bit of time for writing and working out.

5. Yeah, I'm hitting the gym today for the first time in toodanglong. Of course, since I decided I'd do this today, I've gotten nothing but more and more work dumped on my plate, ensuring a late night. However, if I can motivate myself enough to get to it, I should be out of here no more than an hour later than normal. So, I'm cutting it off here.

READER QUESTION: What is your favorite thing to experience with your senses**? It can be a taste, smell, sound, sight, or feeling. Drop it in the comment box. Be descriptive.


**I was this close to asking for your favorite "sensual experience," but that would open up a whole 'nother kind of thread.