The Care of the Earth

"The care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope." Wendell Berry  

I discovered author, poet, and culture critic Wendell Berry about three years ago. I read through his novel "Hannah Coulter" at lightning speed during summer time, and I soaked up all of his beautiful sentences and the way he weaves nature and caring for land into his writing. Then, this past winter I read "That Distant Land," a collection of short stories based around a community of farmers and their families. His writing is pure and elegant and poignant. I loved his fiction, and gobbled it up happily. Then! I found out from a friend that he ALSO writes non-fiction. My heart fluttered and I knew I had to get my hands on something. 

It began with a borrowed copy of "The Unsettling of America," borrowed from said generous friend, also a big fan of Wendell Berry. I loved it. I read through about three quarters of Berry's cultural critique and down to earth perspective, and his wisdom is astounding. 

So, happily, I recently ordered "The Art of the Commonplace," a collection of agrarian essays, which should arrive this week! Cue the excitement! Not only has this wonderful, wonderful author helped shape my perspective, but he continues to inspire me, challenge me, and make just-before-bed-night-time-reading one of the best parts of the day. 

The earth, the soil, the plants, the process of sowing and harvesting, is good, because our Creator is good. 

Much love, Vivi 

Picnic in the Park

Meet my babe of a friend, Hannah, who casually flicks her hair in response to a clicking camera and has excellent choice in both leather bags and glamorous sunglasses. In one word, she is fabulous, and I am so thankful to call her my friend (since Grade 10!) 

Quite a few weeks ago we took advantage of some glorious sunshine and brought a picnic to a local park. The spread included veggies, cheese and crackers, fruit, iced coffees, and hummus. It was an afternoon spent talking and eating and talking and eating- the best kind of afternoon. 

Much love, Vivi 

Chopin Has Something To Say

Why, hello! Greetings! Yes, we do know each other- it has just been a VERY long time! The month of May held moving houses (cue the deep cleaning and organization), studying/tests/digging deep into physics, volunteering with some pretty wonderful organizations, and now, preparing for my Biology honors project with some reading, reading, and READING! 

Exciting times.

Really, I love what I am doing! If asked in a game of would you rather if I would rather read about treatments for rare genetic conditions or relax by a pool all day.. I would pick the reading (by the pool of course.. ;) 

Our new house is wonderful. There is a creek that runs through the backyard, a garden of mint, jasmine, bamboo... It's stunning. I've already given "tours" of the backyard to friends, and I think I probably beam the whole way. Nature is a beautiful expression of God's grace and creativity. I'm so happy to be able to live here surrounded by reminders of God's goodness.

Not being in the thick of the academic year gives me some much needed thinking time. I've been thinking about many aspects of my life, how I spend my time, what I'd like to do differently, continue doing, and different goals for the short term and long term. And while doing so, Chopin has been keeping my ears company. Just as the sights of nature provide visual reminders of God's goodness, the sounds of Chopin make my ears just as sure. 

Much love, Vivi 

A New Goal...

Do you ever have moments of being completely inspired, fired up with passion about a goal, or strong feelings of motivation all of a sudden? When I have these moments (which often happen after a mug of coffee or tea, so maybe caffeine has to do with it.. ;) I feel creative and it's the time when I have ideas pop into my head. For the month of July I'll be conducting a personal experiment. My goal is to take photos of what I'm doing throughout the day at random times. By doing this, I hope to get a clearer idea of what I spend most of my time on, and ultimately, how I can be a better steward of my time. In the summer I have more spare time, but time is still precious and I never want to waste it. At the end of each day, I will make a collage of the day and post it here. Yes, I will be posting everyday! It's quite the challenge, but I feel inspired and am determined to see this goal to completion! July is a very full month for me. I'm doing math and physics classes, turning 20, volunteering, and having surgery at the end of July. I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me, and I trust Him to give me wisdom into what it looks like to be a wise steward of my time. Of course, I won't be able to include everything from each day, but hopefully what I learn throughout this journey will teach me more about spending time wisely, with a healthy balance of productivity (work, chores, required activities), and rest & enjoyment. 

So, without further ado,

J U L Y 1st 

Productivity: 
Waking up at 7am (a big deal for me in the summer!)
Baking cookies for a neighbor 
A few hours of Physics homework
Practice MCAT questions (I'm writing it next summer, but I do these for fun... Yes, for fun.) 

Rest & Enjoyment:
Reading a new novel with lunch in the sunshine
Painting my nails & having a few chocolate peanuts 
Having lunch with my family on the deck and discussing the Game Theory. Haha, family conversations in my house and very interesting. 
Having a mini picnic with iced peach tea and more books outside 

Take aways:
1) Waking up at 7 am was amazing. I was able to spend time in my Bible before my day started and begin the day in peace and focus on God's word. The soft light through my blinds was an added bonus. Seriously, waking up early is a new priority in my life! Thank you, July 1st, for teaching me a lesson about spending my time wisely already by starting early and starting right. 

2) I spend a lot of time eating or making food. What resonates in me with this is how important it is to eat well. I'm going to spend time eating anyways, so it may as well be food that makes my organs sing "thank youuuuuu!" 

3) It's okay to rest. Actually, it's WAY more than okay to rest. It's so needed, and so healthy. Reading in the backyard with iced peach tea was rejuvenating. Everyone rests in different ways, but there is one common and uniting theme: resting enables us to be productive when accomplishing our goals, and it gives us strength to do them WELL. 

I have learned more from one day of life than I had expected to, and I'm looking forward to continuing this challenge. Time is a blessing. Time is one of the greatest gifts we have. July 2nd, I'm ready for you.    


Much love, Vivi 

on being... S T E A D F A S T

This past week was a challenge. Every day little things started to add up that were together forming into a big mountain. My cat threw up five times in my room. On my clothes. I split tea freshly off the boil all over my hand and my leg. I showed up to the wrong shift after cancelling other plans. 

But you know the best part? 

I was okay. I laughed. I got over it. I'm still alive. I'm healthy. 

After having so many little things try to get to me, I realized just how important it is in NOT letting them get to me. Life happens. Cats barf. Tea spills. Schedules get mixed up. In the moment each little thing felt like the end of the world, but looking back I realize just how important it is to remain steadfast in peacefulness, gentleness, and immense gratefulness. 

My goal is this: to continue in being steadfast, refusing to let little things steal my joy or peace.

Much love, Vivi   

What Would Wendell Berry Say

I love Wendell Berry's writing. I read "Hannah Coulter" last summer and it made me want to buy a large farm and raise some chickens. His writing is very nostalgic, and oh so beautiful. I'm reading a collection of his short stories called "That Distant Land" and I sometimes find myself thinking in what I like to call "Wendell Berry sentences." They go something like this:

Good things right now. Oh, there are many. 
There is the 6 foot magnolia tree in the garden, blooming in its full pre-summer beauty, beckoning for the sun's rays to shine upon it and give it the strength to grow.
There is the ocean. The time to go to the ocean. The kindred spirit friend to join me at the ocean.
There is the word. The word of God, the word of encouragement, the spoken, written, unwritten word.
There is the ticking of the clock. An unwelcome, unsettling sound to many, but an ever-present reminder that as long as you are able to hear that ticking, you have a purpose and a future.
There is the sky with its indecision between rain and shine. The clouds and rain drops adhering to the many moods of the day. 
There is the knowledge, built up by ancient dreamers and creative thinkers, pushing aside traditional thinking and making DISCOVERIES. 
There is the endurance that is only fully recognized for its substance once it has been accomplished. 
And yes, there are the people. Where do I begin with the people? The new, the long-time, the young, the old, the laughers, the planners, the story-tellers, the listeners, the deep-thinkers, the forward thinkers, the contemplative ones. Oh, the people. 
Yes, there are good things right now.


Much Love, Vivi

Goal Making

I've always been a huge supporter of lists, goals, and challenging oneself. In the past I've struggled with perfection, where the goals I would make were completely unrealistic. I would feel awful if I didn't meet my lofty expectations. Thankfully I have learnt through this experience the difference between challenging oneself with goals and hurting oneself. Now, if I don't accomplish a certain goal, I simply re-evaluate! For example, at the beginning of Summer I made the goal to run at least 10k a week. Well, running on the treadmill with the kind of weather we've been having (HOT HOT) was more than unappealing. I changed my goal to doing some kind of activity four times a week and was much happier that way, AND actually enjoyed working on my goal. Life is too short to be doing something you don't enjoy.

Oh, and these photos? Somewhat unrelated.. But small reminders to myself to slow down and enjoy the beauty that surrounds me in the everyday. Now that is a goal I'll always aim for.

Much love, Vivi

A Day at the Lake

 Silver Water

A gentle breeze

Ice cream (on waffle cones) 

Light 

and

Family

 

Much love, Vivi

p.s. I updated my "about me" page. Link is in the side bar. :)