RevGal Friday 5: Redo, Refresh, Restore

Songbird writes:

We're in the thick of it in church life as we approach the end of Lent. Palm Sunday and Holy Week await. In the midst of this busy-ness, I undertook a little redecorating here at RevGalBlogPals and found a new template for us.

It's the sort of task I like in the middle of chaos, a chance to redo something, to refresh the way I feel, to restore some sense of order.

Please share with us five ways you redo or refresh or restore your body, your space, your blog, anything in your life that needs perking up this week.

EVERYTHING needs perking up this week!  So it feels anyway.  Funny how just one or two things can make it feel as if everything is unraveling.  Thank goodness it is just one or two things!

1. Redo:  Often when I get stressed I need to "order" something so I will rearrange furniture in my house and/or office.  I, like Songbird, also redesign my blog.  Sometimes I have only enough energy to rearange the bookshelves in the living room.  Yesterday I took a mental health day and attacked the clean laundry that has been overflowing off of the futon in our basement.  Amazingly the futon is cleared of clothes, my middle daughter has gone through and weeded out her closet, now for myself and the other 2 to do the same!
2. Restore:  I used to do yoga.  I haven't for a very long time.  A very very long time.  The past two years I've been afraid to try because of carpal tunnel in my wrists.  There were some poses that became increasingly difficult as my carpal tunnel worsened and now I've found myself too afraid to try to start again.  If you have experience with this or know how to work around the CT please let me know.  I do miss it!
3. Refresh:  Paint or more commonly take photographs.  I love to paint--just abstract stuff because it's easy and there aren't really any expectations for it.  It's just fun and feels good.  However, you need a good deal of  time and space, or I do anyway.  I need time for all the clean-up afterwards.  Hence, I often just take my camera and photograph just about anything that catches my eye.  I love digital photography because it makes it easy for anyone to be a great photographer!  Plus, it is very refreshing/restoring because I find beauty in the oddest of places.
4. Renew:  Hang out with great friends and just laugh, let loose, and be myself, forgetting that I'm a pastor and there are expectations about what I'm supposed to do, think, say, etc.  Oh man, that sound SO good!  I so need that right now!
5. Restore:  Dates with my daughters.  We take turns spending time alone with each of the girls.  Often it's a Saturday afternoon of shopping (I'm not a shopper but do enjoy it with my girls--ONE at a time) or a movie, or grabbing a bite to eat someplace new.  I miss KCMO and the art museums--2 of the girls would probably be interested in strolling around them now.  There've been painting and cooking dates as well.  It's nice to focus and spend time with them individually and get a chance to really listen and pay attention to what's going on in their lives, getting to know them better.  Sometimes life flies by so fast that I feel as though I'm missing too much of them so I really enjoy our dates.  I do wish I could get my husband to take me on a few dates too!  However, when he's here he too wants to be with the girls since he's only here on the weekends--I don't blame him a bit!

Peace be with you!