Having it My Way

While I think I am a complex person (which can be good or bad), I occasionally hear that I am such a “simple” person (in Portuguese, not English. I am fully aware that simple, in English means dumb). I interpret that to mean that it doesn’t take much to make me happy. In a way, it’s also not all that easy to make me happy. But if you put the right ingredients together, then no, it’s not all that hard to please me. I don’t care about expensive or fancy stuff, but I sure do like having things “my” way.

I wrote on Facebook, that I loved my birthday this year because it was all about me. That is really terrible, that I enjoyed so immensely having everything go just right. Still I confess, I felt so good at the end of the evening. Why did I enjoy it so much? I wondered about that last night, as I was drifting off to sleep. At the risk of revealing more about me than maybe I should, I think I have it figured out!

Mostly because I got to do what I wanted to do. I love getting my own way. So I slept until I woke up. I made what I wanted to eat for breakfast. I went to the gym and worked out at my own pace and felt good about it. I even watched “Castle” that I had been able to download to my mp3. When I got home, my husband gave me this hanging basket of Petunias. He picked it out and lugged it home just for me.

Then my hubby let me chose where to go to lunch. I dressed up in the new dress that he also gave me for my birthday. (I loved the dress and you can see it in the photo). We went to Outback which is extravagantly expensive, at least here in Brazil, where I ate what I had been craving and even got a free hot fudge Sundae (which we split). Then in the afternoon I had time to go to my art class. I enjoyed being with the folks there and just painting away the afternoon. (And yes, I got Galileu’s ear just right and am growing close to finishing the painting).

When I got in from class, Elly and Bernardo had arrived and we went out for all you can eat pizza. Oh man, that was a groaner since I’d had a good lunch. But I dug in and really enjoyed the pizza. It was so good. We went back to their apt. where they gave me my present, a gorgeous pair of sandals (aren’t they handsome on my feet?). We came home and I listened to the lovely messages on my answering machine and read about a 100 messages on Facebook and Orkut. (And I finally got to hug Sissy, who because of her schedule was unable to join us for lunch or supper).

It was just up my alley. People showed they cared about me and made me feel special, but I didn’t have to deal with multitudes, loudness or schedules. I got to chose the places I went and what I did. It was relaxed.No expectations from me and I got to be just plain old me. I ate really good food. I got presents I enjoyed and will continue enjoying for a long time. So there you go. I am a selfish creature. I like what I like and those things make me happy. Make me feel special and I’ll purr like a kitty. I’m still purring, even today!

Cocooning versus Gogoing

  If you can’t find me in the photo below, just keep looking. I am in a dark blue dress, slightly right of center in the middle (and typically with my head leaning to one side). It was taken at the women’s camp of the Liberty Baptist Church of São Paulo last weekend. (Igreja Batista de Liberdade).

I had a great time at the camp. I accept very few speaking engagements so when I do, they are real highlights for me. I felt so loved and embraced by this great group of women. It was a rare encounter of making new friends. I had worked really hard on the four messages and I was excited to share God’s Word with them. The setting was lovely, the people were warm and caring and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

That being said, it is great to be back in my little cocoon. The older I get, the less I enjoy leaving my own little corner of the world. I used to go, go, go all the time, as my life was a life of travel and speaking. Since Canada, I have truly committed myself to being involved in the accountability of being only in my own church, which as been a really good thing for my spiritual life.

I also confess, it’s been a good thing for me emotionally. It’s not that I don’t love people, I really, really do. But at heart I am an introvert who has learned to act like an extrovert. What that means is that I get energized by being alone in silence. Being with people 24/7 like this past weekend it a good way to let my emotional “battery” run down. I have spent most of this week trying to get recharged. I used to recharge faster. It may be lack of practice, or like the battery on my laptop, it just may be wearing out.

Besides that, the physical journey home was very tiring. I was already tired from speaking (Spurgeon writes that preaching is the equivalent of eight hours of physical labor) and not sleeping well away from home, in addition to the other things. Then I rushed to the airport, with all that hassle of lugging luggage, standing in line, walking a mile to the gate and then standing in another line over an hour and everyone restless and all. The boarding time, the take off time came and went and no info from AVIANCA at all. That can get to be irritating with the staff is rude and condescending (telling us to just get back and line and wait to for the flight to be called). When we finally leave an hour late, the 45 minute flight turns into a two hour flight! How? The landing at the airport gets aborted because there is an injunction that no planes can land after 11PM and we are one minute late. So we circle in the air waiting to get permission to land at the other airport. We hit the ground, and my cell phone goes flying out of my hand! (Hard landing!) I had it ready to call João and let him know where I was. After everyone generously joined me in the search, we found it about 4 rows in the front. Then I could call João who was patiently waiting for me at the other airport, since AVIANCA had up on the arrivals that we were confirmed to land at midnight. (Without telling him it was at another airport.) All’s well that ends well, because I was able to call him, and being a Sunday night, there was no traffic, so by the time the luggage had arrived and I had walked around to get outside and down to the pick up zone, he was driving up. (By the way, did I mention I had on high heels, since I had left straight from the church to the airport, because I “had” to be there by 8PM?).  At least I had an adventure.  It was well worth it. By the way, the orchids were growing in a tree outside the dining hall. Aren’t they great?

As I’ve been working on this entry, my computer has shut down several times and I am distressed to learn that my battery has just about worn out. So when it gets to 40% usage the computer just turns off with no warning. It is two years old, so I actually got more life out of it, then they recommend, since they say the life of a laptop battery is about a year – although on João’s old computer it’s lasted 4 1/2 years.  Argh. Please don’t let me touch anything else. My cell phone died today, as it won’t recharge nor will it turn on anymore (it is 4 years old, though). Fortunately I have João’s old phone (which is actually only about a year old) to use – just insert chip and away we go. And of course I can use the the power for my computer. It works about 40 minutes on battery power. Then there’s my Kindle. No solution for it, since it took a slight jar/fall (really, just slid off the bed) and died. I have dropped it before and no problem, and this was such a slight fall, that I didn’t expect a problem. The screen is dead. So this week I am the kiss of death for all electronics. Sissy and João are hiding their cell phones and computers from me.

I think I’ll head out of my cocoon, publish this entry and head off for the day of prayer for missions in Brazil. And not turn anything on in the car!