Forgiveness and Renewal

"I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night."

- The Kite Runner

This morning was a bit of a solemn one - our houseguest of 2 months packed up and drove back home.  She is a costume designer working in town for an opera company, but is working on getting her MA during the school year.  At first my parents and I were a little hesitant to open our house, but she was very lovely and it turns out we're going to miss her very much.  I wish I had gotten to know her better at the beginning - I'm really a very talkative person, but by contrast, I'm very slow to make new friends.

The empty breakfast table

Unfortunately, we didn't get off to quite the start I had anticipated.  I was in the midst of a 3-day allergic reaction to a raw white peach (what?  I know) and I was also struggling with an issue of forgiveness with one of my best friends.  To give a vague overview, we had an argument that may have destroyed, or at least changed, our friendship forever, and I was having difficulty dealing with that.  When I get wrapped up in my own head and my own problems, I become even more withdrawn around new friends.  It can be very self-destructive, something I'm working on changing every day.

Thankfully, I'm slowly but surely improving, and I was proud to say that it was only a week or two before I was at least reading, working, and spending time with friends again (Pinterest-ing with old action movies in the background really isn't that stimulating), including our houseguest.  While I wish I had spent more time with her, I'm glad we got to know each other better over the last few weeks and I was sad to see her go.

And so begins another period of renewal.  I was able to renew myself this summer in emotional spirit, and now for my last few weeks in my hometown, I must be able to renew our old family routines again, and be happy that our houseguest is with her family too.

And so the day begins with 10 hours of sleep, and a whole wheat everything bagel slathered with crunchy almond butter, and a cup of coffee.

From Bodos - best bagels in Virginia

Next up a great workout - my daily abs-and-yoga routine.  I'm amazed at how events in my life affect my workouts, and today was definitely a great day for detoxing and cleansing.

Post-workout snack: yogurt bowl with Fage 0% Blueberry Açai, Bear Naked Granola (Vanilla Almond Crunch), flax meal, and chia seeds.

Note: the color of the blueberry filling when mixed was very potent

Later in the afternoon, my mother had put in a request for a strawberry-mango smoothie!  A mango, strawberries, some OJ, and a drizzle of local honey.

I don't use exact measurements - just wingin' it!

The rest went in a Mason jar!

And pizza night - tonight the movie was Hugo!  It was a farewell present from our houseguest.  I loved it - gorgeous design, wonderful character acting (Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Lee), and a beautiful score (Howard Shore of LOTR fame).  It's not often these days that you get a children's movie that is calm and magical.  Definitely putting it on the favorites list.

TJ's Four-Cheese Pizza

And now I've dimmed the lights, watching my dog sleep next to me.  Happy Sunday, and here's to a productive and joyful last few weeks in the country.