Friday, April 1, 2011

Making a List (A FIve Minute Post)

Lisa-Jo challenged me to write about a few of my favorite things in just five minutes!

I count the early morning warmth of the comforter, the feeling of my eyes before they open but I am awake and I can just soak in the silence of this April snowfall and the still small room. I count Starbucks with Mom and chai lattes and I count tripping and falling over myself in the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot that still makes me cringe and laugh when I think about it.

I count the moment I made the connection between my paper in American Christianity and my paper in Theology - when I realized that learning is always this good, if I was poet enough and student enough to watch the web spun around me. I count learning, the glasses on my nose and the questions in my head and my voice just spinning out of me because I just have too many questions to raise my hand and wait.

I count the memory of French lavender and English teatime, I count the Zoe Keating concert and the five hour Thursday nights my friend Emily and I make space in for each other. I count the cupcake Joanna left on my table yesterday morning and the moment of two hugs from a mentor and the moment of landing in DC all those months ago.

And then this moment I count loving the space I am learning to make in my life to seek out joy and I count finishing the paper and I count laughing until my sides ache with it and I count learning how to tell someone that I care about them in the way that only they can hear it, and know that it's true, and I count the emails fresh in my inbox from Uganda and I count the coffee moments with Dad and I count singing in church my favorite hymn.

Love,
Hilary



9 comments:

  1. Came over from Five Minute Fridays.

    What a nice post! Thanks for sharing!

    Yum, a chai latte sounds good!

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  2. Oh, this was great. So personal and full of gratitude! Love the second paragraph.

    We just moved to the DC area in September, and I remember that magic of arriving here and how incredible it was -- and still is!

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  3. "and I count laughing until my sides ache with it and I count learning how to tell someone that I care about them in the way that only they can hear it"

    Love this!! Beautiful!!

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  4. I love this Hilary. Well done you! And you know we are in agreement about English tea time. I was intrigued by your remark about learning to make space to "seek out joy". I completely resonate with this--i'm on a hunt for the true joys, too! Please, sometime, consider expanding/writing more on this idea! I wrote "of durable joy" and now i just keep circling back around and around this idea. . . find it keeps coming up. Anyways, thanks.

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  5. Thank you all - and Betsy, wouldn't a cup of tea together just be lovely right about now? If you ever come back to the area, or if I ever get a chance to come to Oxford (which is possible!), maybe we can make that happen.

    Laughing, so good, so good for the soul! I wish you all lots of it today.

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  6. So much gratefulness in one little 5 minute post! Lovely:)

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  7. My favorite line:

    "I count laughing until my sides ache with it and I count learning how to tell someone that I care about them in the way that only they can hear it, and know that it's true"

    Incredible list. Beautiful.

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  8. Simply delightful.....love CHAI lattes too - the best!

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  9. Wonderful post! I love how you are seeking joy in the moment. That is something that I have learned to do and it is so full of blessings.

    Thank you also for linking up with friday favorites. :)

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