Cross+Training Day 36... Why blog anyway?

Last night, I played. I ran, like a kid during rock, paper, scissors baseball. I was a very crabby crab walking around the gym floor teasing Dylan that we got to do MORE push-ups. I happily did jumping jacks during bean bag slide tag. It just felt so good to move. I'm sure some of the other parents thought I was crazy, maybe a bit juvenile, perhaps wanting to impress my kid. Who knows? I didn't care, I was having fun! 

Today, I stood in front of 23 middle school students today. I shared the field of architecture with them. I encouraged them to get out there and see it. Observe the world they live in first hand. I wish, in retrospect I had listened to my own advice when I was their age. See it all! Take it in! Enjoy the ride!

Tonight, after a visit with my mom and a long day, I thought I'm going to bed. But... when I got home I remembered I wanted to make that kale & quinoa salad for my lunch tomorrow and then I was hungry for popcorn and then I got distracted with Facebook and that led to my friends post... a lament about not blogging and just posting pictures. What I saw, was life. I saw what I had been experiencing just the night before. I saw what I told the kids that morning to get out and be a part of... life. We life in an amazing world, it's so worth it to see it all!

So, what's the point of blogging then. There are so many blogs that will outline every last step of  a recipe or dictate the best way to X,Y,Z, or remind you of all the things that you could be doing. I hope my Lenten blog doesn't feel that way. I hope it's a place for me to reflect, for me. I hope that if someone else reads it they don't feel the need to do more or be more or even be different than who they are. Rather, I hope you celebrate you. 

As I started writing this post, my friend, the funny, inspiring and beautiful woman messaged on Facebook that she missed me. I stopped. We FaceTime chatted. Caught up on life and all the good and bad. Kids growing out of clothes, exploring new things, scraping their skin and growing up. We talked about careers and what they can give us. It was great. So, again, why blog? I guess, this Lent, for at least these 40 plus days, it's a time to reflect. A time to share a piece of me and hopefully encourage others along the way. Of course it's also about a discipline. A way of looking for something in everyday moments that reminds me to be grateful and to see God. 

Yesterday, I saw God in this little girl I was playing Rock, Paper, Scissors baseball with. Every time we were on the same base, we found each other and sometimes she won, sometimes I did, but it was FUN! Pure JOY! That's gotta be God, right?

Today, I saw God in a young man who I later found out was a "challenging" student. I thought he was engaged and full of questions and life and interest for architecture. God, the curious teenager.

I'm grateful for continued strength for my mom today. Grateful for Angela for celebrating being a night owl with me (thinking of Helen who I have also Face Timed at an odd hour of the night before!) Grateful for technology that brings us all together.