Disarray, rest, and the one-sentence journal

Moo and I just got back from being out of town for a week, and between the unpacking and the lunch-making and bottle-washing and the rediscovery of all our toys and the explosion of mail that happens when you return from a trip, my house looks a little scary. Looked. It's getting there.

Tonight isn't for straightening, though. It's for lighting a pear candle and opening windows of crisp air and thunder with rain. It's for hot green tea and feet up and a freshly washed face. 

It's for Silence. Stillness. Solitude. The combination I lack and long for most. It's where my good thinking happens.

I've been thinking a lot about my little writing resolution moment this summer to write regularly. I know words like "little" and "moment" make my resolution sound trivial, but that's sort of my point. It feels like it was just a fling. A little affair with writing that's lost its luster and its consistency and has just petered out. 

But. 

I know I'm a writer. I also know that my resolution to write every day and read books on writing just isn't quite realistic at this point in my life, at least not the way I envisioned it. So, I'm rethinking things. How can I write regularly? How can I make that happen? 

I've been reading more magazines than books the past couple of weeks--partly because I'm in between books and am not sure what to read next (any nonfiction recommendations out there?) and partly because it feels good to finish something in one sitting, like an article. Anyway, I read an article recently about keeping a one-sentence journal, writing one sentence about each day (more if you'd like). That didn't sound too daunting to me. One sentence a day. There's a new journal by my bed just waiting to be broken in, and this might be how I'm supposed to do that. It's been sitting there for weeks because I'm intimidated by all the white space. So, that's the next step for me.

You writers out there, what do you do to make writing happen?  

Killer salsa

Tastebuds, prepare yourselves! This recipe is actually only part of a Cooking Light recipe for Chicken Tostadas (see picture), but since I had extra ingredients, I ended up using the salsa alone with chips and it was absolutely delicious (and easy). Fresh, chunky, and flavorful, this salsa is one I'll make again and again.

Avocado Salsa
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I substituted the same amount of lemon juice from the bottle since that's what I had on hand and it tasted fine)
1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup pre-chopped tomato (I chopped my own since I had several whole tomatoes on hand)
1/2 cup pre-chopped white onion (I substituted 2 Tbsp chopped red onion, which made up for the flavor lost in not including cilantro)
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (I omitted because I didn't have any on hand)
1 avocado, peeled and diced

Combine first five ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add tomato, onion, cilantro, and avocado. Toss gently to coat. Serve with chips.

Want to make the whole meal? It only takes a few more ingredients (chicken, black beans, lettuce, tortillas, cheese). Easy weeknight meal with a beautiful presentation and a crunchy-fresh flavor. Definitely recommend it.

Summer reading: part two

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

So many of my students read and wrote about this book last year that I felt like I'd read this book before I'd read this book. But when we were in the mountains in August, my mother-in-law had it sitting beside the couch and I decided to pick it up. I was finished with it in less than 24 hours. It was an easy read--straight forward with a compelling story and no reading between the lines work. Since the story is so well known, I'll keep the plot short: it tells the story of Colton Burpo, who spent three minutes in heaven during a childhood surgery and returned to his body with stories to tell. What's interesting is that he doesn't just come out and tell the stories; he only tells them as people ask or make comments about that time. It's as if he thinks everyone knows what God's throneroom looks like or that God really, really loves us. It made me excited about Heaven, excited to see Jesus face-to-face one day. And it made me appreciate the faith of a child--not one that's ignorant, but one that is whole-heartedly trusting. Definitely recommend this one. Phil, who usually falls asleep about two pages into a book, is reading it now, and even he can't put it down!

Wild by Cheryl Strayed
A memoir about one woman's solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, and really about her journey through grief after her mother died, and really about her own growing into herself, this book is fabulous. My friend Rebecca recommended it to me after learning that I enjoyed reading Jennifer Pharr Davis's Becoming Odyssa, another book about hiking. I can't say that this book made me want to do any through hikes in the near future, but it's a book Phil and I have been able to read together, and it's certainly lit a fire for us as day hikers. The author and I couldn't be any more different, but somehow I feel as if we're friends now, that if I met her I'd like her.  Her writing is humorous, honest, and well-crafted, and time reading this book was time well spent.

Fat Girl by Judith Moore
This was an impulse read. I was at the library with Moo one day and wanted to pick up a new nonfiction book. Of course, Moo decided that the quiet adult section of the library was the perfect place to test out all the new sounds he could make, and after seeing a few forced grins that communicated that's-so-cute-but-please-get-your-kid-out-of-here, I grabbed the first book that looked remotely interesting and checked out. But I'm glad I did. In Fat Girl, Judith Moore writes of her love affair with food, acknowledging that much of her food addiction has roots in her tragic relationship with her mother. She writes so descriptively and decadently of food that I almost wanted to eat the book as I read it. At the same time, the content was so sad and disturbing at times that I almost put it down. The book is short and the writing is easy to follow, and I liked the insights it gave me about those who struggle with food issues, but it's emotionally taxing, so keep that in mind if you pick it up. 

Summer reading: part one

I've waited so long to post about my summer reading that I'm going to break it into two parts so you don't want to gouge your eyes out from reading too much at once. Without further ado, here's what I've been reading:

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

People, this guy can write. As in I wish I had read with a pen in hand because there were sentences on every page that I wanted to underline and draw smiley faces beside and drool over. That being said, this book took me forever to read; I just found that I could put it down for a while.

In the novel, the protagonist, Jayber Crow, tells the story of his life from early childhood to death, mostly taking place in one small town. Ultimately, this is a story about place, about living somewhere long enough to have roots, to know the land, to know life and death, and to tell stories. The story line itself didn't grip me as much as as the writing, but I think that's probably just me because my friends who have read the book liked the plot much more than I did.

While I liked Berry's Hannah Coulter better, I genuinely love the way this man writes. The word that comes to mind is unadulterated. It's as rich as the soil he tilled in his Kentucky farm. He also studied under Wallace Stegner (see Crossing to Safety below)--something I didn't realize until after I'd read both books. Overall, my recommendation is that you read a Wendell Berry book; I don't really think it matters which one.

Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Tim Keller
This is another book that I've read off and on for a while. Like two and half years a while. But I'm so glad I kept at it and finished it. For a book that tackles dense and difficult questions like why God allows suffering, it was surprisingly accessible. Tim Keller, pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, spends the first half of the book addressing questions skeptics ask most often and the second half of the book explaining how faith in Jesus even works. He has about 40 pages of notes at the end of the book, and I appreciate how he draws not only on his own intellect and on scripture, but also on the wisdom of others throughout history. A philosophy major in college, Keller makes some thoughtful and convincing points about the questionable parts of Christianity, and even if you don't agree with everything he says (although I pretty much do), the book will make you think more intentionally about what and why you believe what you do. Thankfully, I did read this book with a pen in hand because I'll definitely be returning to it in the future, and when I do, I'll be glad I underlined a few things. Highly recommend. I kind of want all my friends to read it.

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
An avid reader, my mother-in-law recommended Stegner's Angle of Repose sometime last year, and for some reason, I just couldn't get into it and gave it up after about 30 or 40 pages. Convinced (and rightly so) of Stegner's literary prowess, she suggested another of his books, Crossing to Safety. This one, I really enjoyed. It tells the story of two couples from vastly different backgrounds. Both husbands are English professors at a small college, so of course that part appealed to me. But really, I loved the theme of friendship throughout--the unlikely, sometimes-messy, sometimes-elated, sometimes-sorrowful nature of friendship. The plot was interesting and held my interest, but the characters really drove the story. I mostly loved that none of the characters was perfect, that they were depicted flaws and all. Since I've had mixed experiences with Stegner's writing, I'll wait for someone to recommend the next book of his to read, but this one I definitely recommend.