7 Quick Takes: Another Edition

1)
One of my jobs when payday comes is to do the grocery shopping. I don't totally mind this job, as it feeds my thrill at having a full fridge... but if you've been reading this blog for long, you know that I have a love-hate kind of relationship to this task. Today as I made my 5th stop to complete the trip, I thought "if only there was ONE place I could go to get this all done!" Of course, there IS- the supermarket. But, the one I go to doesn't sell birthday cards or salt-and-vinegar almonds, or good-enough meat, or whole-bean coffee, or locally grown tomatoes. So, five stops it is. But here I sit in front of a plate that only very recently held a grilled swiss and tomato sandwich and it was allll worth it.

2)
The other night I had a magical ministry moment. It was our last gathering of the Young-Adult Lectio group I have been leading through the summer, and the entire population of the group was bona-fide young adults! Out of college, even. They had real-world things to say, in response to the reading, and really thought hard about the whole thing. And when I told them it was over, they groaned. They groaned! They suggested we start back up again in September, but maybe at a local restaurant. That means beer! Beer! AND when I asked them if Tuesdays would be an okay night, they all said "sure!" SURE!!! Now, really, youth ministry is so awesome. It is. But moments like these are really miraculous for someone who is used to the vague hazy responses of high school students.

3)
I'll be 42 this week. That is, my birthday's coming. 42 sounds so very adult. I've not had a real reaction to any of the numbers so far, outside of excitement... I love birthdays. But sheesh, 42?

4)
I'm working on hospitality as a spiritual exercise. I am really still so moved by the hospitality of the SSND... and I want what they have. So I'm trying to remind myself to be hospitable whenever I get the chance, except at the grocery store. One thing I've noticed about true hospitality is that it's not about asking how one can help, it's just jumping right in and helping. Not asking "do you want to sit down?" but standing up and giving someone a seat. Not saying "want help with that?" but just jumping in and grabbing a suitcase to carry. Not saying "let me know how I can help" but making a dinner and bringing it by. I want to look for opportunities to help and welcome. Except at the grocery store.

5)
New favorite podcasts!! This could be a 7QT episode all on its own, but never mind that. I recommend This is That, a new CBC fake news show that had me for 7 or 8 minutes before I figured out they were bluffing. So funny. The Dinner Party Download, which gives cool jokes, small talk topics, drink recipes, and whatnot guaranteed to help you "win" at your next dinner party. Wiretap is a freakin' riot. That's also CBC. And both CBC and NPR have podcasts that plumb the depths of their archives, good for odd and interesting shows: CBC's is Rewind, and it's weekly, and NPR's is Playback, which is monthly.

6)
Check it out, my first sunflower's in bloom!














7)
Here are the things that I am looking forward to: a trip to PTown, my birthday, the continuation of tomato season, school starting again, and working on my project. GOF starting up again, and all sortsa other new ministries. Real TV shows coming back!!! Seeing the LOST epilogue, although I'm not sure how I'll be able to do that... oh and of course Conan O'Brien coming back to TV. Wait, are a lot of my looking-forward-to's about tv? Is that bad?