Notes on a Blue Sunday

1. Sundays are my time to myself. If I am lucky, I have a few hours alone. Today I woke up at 5:11 a.m. I do not have to interact with anyone until 8:30.
2. My Sunday morning ritual includes reading Brain Pickings by Maria Popova, sometimes before I even get out of bed. Today was a tribute to 200 Years of Blue.
3. It reminded me of Bluets by Maggie Nelson, so I picked up that book and went back through her reactions to the color blue. I made a cup of coffee and slowly sipped.
4. I took a shower, an every-other-day event. Washed hair with baking soda. Brushed teeth with activated charcoal. Shaved legs with my blue razor and coconut oil, in anticipation of hot yoga later today. I need to repaint my toes, and easier to use the same color than choose a new one: blue, Sapphire Dream.
5. I contemplated the best remedy for a dry face. One option is a blue face mask, cool and calming. Instead, I select a balm of calendula, since my skin will have time to absorb the thickness.
6. Checked the weather: high of 56, overcast. I chose the navy blue athletic joggers from yesterday. I only wore them to a school event, so they fell into the category of “barely worn.” An easy gray top. A necklace with a key inscribed with the word “STRENGTH.” I haven’t worn the necklace for a long time. I haven’t felt Strength.
7. Now 7:11 am. Somehow two hours have disappeared. I made a list of what I wanted to finish in the time remaining: read an article I had saved, plan for the week, write.
8. I replaced the bulb in the light fixture above me the other day. Instead of a warm glow, it is a “cool” light, an accidental misreading of the bulb description in the store. It doesn’t feel cool. It feels harsh and glaring.
9. Unexpectedly the planning morphs into a tangent of useful information, research, but not what I wanted to accomplish.
10. And now 8:36 am. My time is up. Bluets, my legal pad of notes, a to-do list, my tablet, and a blue pen aside — I have to continue with the day.

Blessing

A poem.

Musings Out LoudAnna Burgess Yang

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