A lot has happened since I last posted. In Atlanta with my mom, I ate at a revolving rooftop restaurant, saw an exhibit of posters for peace and social justice, and ran into some old friends from Youth Council! Those were the days. Then I went to church camp and enjoyed meeting new people from Pine Valley UMC, getting closer to people I'd known a little, and swimming in a lake that felt like a tepid bath, or maybe even less refreshing. The lake had something in it--algae, tannins, everyone had a different story--that clung to the tiny hairs you don't normally notice, so my hands looked like Wolfman's with hair coming out the backs. But one day they mysteriously settled down or something and didn't stick to us!
I thought a lot about why experiences like that--the sweaty ones--lend themselves so readily to experiencing God. I came up with a few reasons.
1. It's closer than usual to the way Jesus and His disciples lived. They probably had dirty feet and smelly clothes most of the time.
2. It forces loss of control, and forces us to admit we're not in control. Because if we were, we would've had a shower in the last 48 hours or so.
3. It promotes gratitude. In "regular" life, most of us don't thank God for every drink of cold water, every energizing meal, every helping hand. But at camp and similar experiences, we definitely don't take those things for granted.
4. It usually involves being in nature, and its beauty always points to God's sovereignty, care, and power.
So yeah, I had a good time at church camp!
When I got back, I immediately felt sluggish and had a sore throat, which soon evolved into a cough with intermittent body ache and fever. Luckily, that's mostly behind me now. I'm very grateful to be able to lounge and baby myself without missing work or class. Today I only have a slightly sore throat and occasional cough, and I was able to run the usual amount on my run/walk; it was definitely more difficult, but I made it, and later I can say, "If I did it while I was sick, surely I can do it now!"
I also signed up for a triathlon that will take place in September and got the key to the new place I'm sharing on Wrightsville. Now I'm allowed to call everyone "landlubbers," and I intend to do so at every opportunity. I might even move the big stuff tomorrow, and then I'll take my time with the (endless) boxes and bags and suitcases and satchels of junk that makes me feel good. Not without a trip to Goodwill to cleanse my stuff chakra and lighten the load, even if it's only a little. It will be really nice to have an organizational start-over, since I've been taking undue advantage of the fact that no one's seen my bedroom in months, if ever. I think it'll also be good to have roommates again, so I can relearn kindergarten things like sharing and coexisting and not being completely self-centered. Plus there'll probably be no more episodes like today's, when I came back from my walk to find the door open and men installing a new fridge and stove. It's nice because I won't have to clean them as much when I move, but I don't relish the thought that the apartment complex office has extra keys. And that won't be an issue at the new place.
