Mucking about

Monday, March 4, 2024 (Lent Day 17)

W and Don head to the train station at 6:00 a.m., the same time I walk out the door for 2 miles around the neighborhood. They'll be gone 3 days - W is doing a seminar and an "Ask the Professor" session in Jogja, a 6+-hour train ride away. He loves teaching.

We've unpacked most of what we brought from Bali. My "haul" is five 1.5-meter cotton pieces, which go to the seamstress later this week. IbuS washes and irons them, ready to be cut. A few years ago, Mom sent along buttons from her sewing room. There are enough to customize each blouse.

I'm taking notes on resources for upcoming classes. My notebook, with pages and pages of handwritten notes and color-coded edges, shows me where one book starts and the other ends. With its little index, it is surprisingly efficient.

Between a spicy Korean ramen lunch and chocolate-covered coffee beans, I cover a lot of ground. Herding Tigers by Todd Henry has me spellbound. Except when my dad was the owner or manager, I've never experienced a team or workplace with Henry's principles of managing creatives. 

If my bosses had followed even half of these principles, I would have worked myself to the bone for them and accomplished 5X the results. Who knew?! (Hey, where was this book when we needed it?) The author identifies what I crave and need to thrive. 

I'm reminded how to step up for my own creative teams.

I clean the fridge of leftovers and explore what's left inside. Vegetables, dairy, lots of jars of sauces and other goodies ... it looks full. So why am I tempted by nothing but the TJ Peanut Butter cups? Resist! resist!

Tuesday (Lent Day 18)

It's a long day of walking, study, 6 meetings, and more. Waking at 4:00 a.m., I might as well stay awake until my first meeting at 5:00. Except it  starts with a postponement until 10:00. After 2 other calls, I sit down at the screen to finish a few things before the rescheduled session.

Oops - I've forgotten my monthly 9:00 check-in. Luckily, the contact is still online; we wrap up 3/4 hours later.

The IES team comes at 1:00. When they leave, the seamstress' husband arrives to chat and pick up the new fabrics. They'll replicate a well-fitting blouse for me in the Bali colors.

Wednesday (Lent Day 19)

Another day of meetings flies by: by the time I fire up the mandatory 9:00 company meeting, I've already been in 3 others. I check for student assignments but decide to grade them all together later. Grades are due on Friday.

 Late in the evening, W and Don return to Bandung by train. I stay up until my eyes are falling shut. To stay awake, I prepare supper and swap the cushion slipcovers for something lighter.

Before... 

After ... 

I finally give up waiting: their train is delayed by over an hour. I protect the food on the dining table with ant-proof covers, shower, pull on PJs, and hop into bed. It's a restless night when nothing feels comfortable. I sleep 9:30-11; 4:30-6 (when W's alarm blares), and snooze until 7:00 before my own alarm beeps the wake-up call.

Thursday (Lent Day 20)

Hiking. It's our sabbath day of refreshing each week. After 4 hours of sleep, my body unwinds on the 5+-mile (8km), 14,000-step trail. We go up and down many times, but the total elevation is only 8 flights.

We walk through coffee plantations shaded by the tall pines planted by Dutch colonists. History is everywhere in the city and the mountains. We pray God's favor over the people working in the fields and forests as we pass them. Most are friendly and wave to us.

We pose at the entry to the old war forts. The dogs look at us expectantly: sometimes they get a treat when we stop. Not this time.

The forts are almost overgrown behind high walls. The grasses are 3-4 meters high (9-12').

The cycle of life is that things sprout and die. This patch of ferns is definitely on its way out, even as new plants emerge.

Several times, we cross the rain-filled trenches gouged into the wet dirt by all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles. The dogs don't bother with the stepping stones we step on to keep our feet dry. Coming and going, Juno takes a mud bath and is a happy two-toned wonder when she emerges.

As we walk out of the forest toward the cars, we spot three men welding a new canopy across the admission gate. They don't wear safety harnesses and the only thing under their feet are the metal beams they're connecting.

We have lunch a few hundred meters up the road. This suspension bridge over a deep valley sways as tourists traverse it. We would have tried it in the first 3 months. After that (now), with the Indonesian disregard for maintenance, we prefer to watch others make the trek. It starts to pour within minutes of arrival and the strolls across the canyon become jogs. 

Lunch is good food and good company. My $6 ribs and soup are yummy.

We make one more stop: the grocer. I stay in the car to save money, sending W inside. He adds eggs to his own list. Don gets the juice he needs, and we're on the way home. Shower. Rest. Refreshed.

IbuS has baked a fresh loaf of bread. That will be our simple supper, complete with cold cuts and the last tomato. I'm reminded of the goodness of God, who supplies every need.

Read more:

*God said, “I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations.” Genesis 17:7

*Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 

*Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

*This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths,

ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." 

But you said, "We will not walk in it." Jeremiah 6:16

*Jesus said, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.” John 14:26

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for every opportunity we have to praise you. Help us feel your guiding presence in these difficult times. We know there is hope when we do what is right. Help us to cling tightly to you. Amen