Inky Jazz

  • READ
  • CREATE
  • HOPE
  • EAT
    • Dinner Ideas
    • Smoothies & Drinks
    • Snacks
    • Sweet
    • Sides
  • NOTE TO SELF
  • Email Me

True Confessions of a Workaholic

Pete calls in the afternoon, interrupting me in the middle of an important project. I’m always in the middle of a project. “‘Looks like a great day for a motorcycle ride,” he says cheerily. He says this almost every day, but on a weekday I usually get more time to work we usually go out after dinner. “I’ll be home soon and was thinking we could get out a little earlier today.”

I glance at the clock and make a quick calculation. My mind runs over the mental list of things I was hoping to get done. It’s always longer than the day, and now my day just got shorter. “Um, okay,” I say, trying not to let reluctance creep into my voice. I love riding, but I feel like Pete’s just added another thing to my list. “At least I can use the time to think,” I remind myself.

As usual, I’m down to the wire, working until the last possible moment. When I hop on the bike my mind’s still whirring. I’m thinking about paint projects, pictures I need to take, posts I want to write … .

Usually if I’m not actively puzzling over an issue or toying with an idea, I’m making observations, taking mental notes about the places we pass. Pete says I have a brain that never stops. But this time we pull out of the driveway, and it really is a perfect day. The summer sun is brilliant and I feel the wind on my face. It’s great to be alive.

Photo Credit: Joshua Siniscal

I watch Pete in front of me, and I know he’s not thinking about anything except the way it feels. Pete lives through his senses, all five turned way up. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Does a field of clover smell faintly of cinnamon? For the next hour or so I don’t think. I just drink it in. The way Pete does.

My brain feels unusually at rest. And I’m reminded yet again why my husband is good for me. As much as I bristle when he interrupts my schedule with his impromptu ideas of play, I know this is exactly what I need. All work and no play — that’s me. Without Pete, I would be a dull girl.

workaholic motorcycle man
Pete patiently mugging for the camera. I caught him on his way out for a short pre-dinner ride.

Who in your life is really good for you? Have you thanked them lately?

UPDATE
Linking up with Women Living Well: Reviving Your Marriage Through Friendship. Courtney talks about the importance of spending time with our husbands “shoulder to shoulder.”

You might also like:
How Motorcycling is Like Marriage
Why I Love Motorcycling

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Relationships

Comments

  1. Mom says

    August 22, 2012 at 11:33 am

    I need reminders more often than I would like to think I do….. thank you. And your Peter looks like his big bro in this picture! (eyes)

    Reply
    • Bridget says

      August 25, 2012 at 12:44 am

      “Peter looks like his big bro in this picture! (eyes)” Yes, I think you’re right.

      Reply
  2. Catherine Denton says

    August 20, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    This is beautiful. And I find it precious that you saw it as a gift and embraced enjoying the moment. My hubby and kids help me remember to play; they’re good for me that way. 🙂
    Catherine Denton

    Reply
    • Bridget says

      August 20, 2012 at 5:12 pm

      Thanks, Catherine.

      Reply

What are your thoughts? Cancel reply

Chalkboard lettering
Chalkboard calligraphy
gustav klimt mother and child
sun and moon acrylic painting
Inky Jazz
mixed media collage
underwater scene painted on a rock
pencil sketch eye
art journal lettering: Psalm 126
art journal, lettering
mixed media collage - white lettering
gustav klimt mother and child
Inky Jazz
gustav klimt mother and child
ink art calligraphy
gustav klimt mother and child
Gustav Klimt, Rendition of Family
Gustav Klimt, Rendition of Family
Picasso's Tete d’une Femme Lisant (Head of a Woman Reading): Rendition in black and white
Picasso’s Tete d’une Femme Lisant (Head of a Woman Reading): Rendition in black and white
acrylic on milk can
Psalm 16: art journal lettering and doodle
deep sea painting (acrylic on wood)
marker, water soluble crayon
Gustav Klimt, Rendition of Stoclet Frieze Expectation, crop
Gustav Klimt, Rendition of Stoclet Frieze Expectation
Picasso Tete d'une Femme Lisant (Head of a Woman Reading)
acrylic on milk can
Masquerade: Art Journal Page, mixed media collage
Masquerade: Art Journal Page
deep sea painting (acrylic on wood)
deep sea painting (acrylic on wood)
pencil sketch eye
pencil sketch eye
Gustav Klimt, Rendition of Stoclet Frieze Expectation
Gustav Klimt, Rendition of Stoclet Frieze Expectation

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

 Subscribe in a reader

Random Life

Jager-Haus animals

Eating Wiener Schnitzel in the Twilight Zone

My in-laws said they’d meet us. My father-in-law had a hankering for wiener schnitzel — the German version of chicken parmesan made with veal — and found this restaurant online. Jager-Haus had been around forever and had a reputation for authentic German cuisine. We drove right past it the first time, missing the sign in […]

What if We Were Meant to Live Forever?

What if we were meant to live forever, and life on earth was a mere sliver of time, tacked on to the front end of eternity? What if this life was just a drop about to be swallowed up in the ocean of eternity, a tiny speck in the universe of forever? How would we live?

More Grace for the Good Girl

I’m linking up with everyone on where we’re reading Grace for the Good Girl together. I just realized I’ve actually been writing about Grace for the Good Girl all along. In fact, I started this blog as an experiment in risk taking — putting myself and my stuff out there, ad hoc, unplanned, and scary […]

Keeping Up with the Joneses — In Which I Admit to Living Beyond My Means

I understand the importance of living within my financial means. And now that I’m doing Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace, that concept is really being driven home. But when it comes to time and energy, I regularly live beyond my means. Everyday I’m allotted 24 hours. That’s my limit, the extent of my daily budget. But […]

Adult Men in the Girls’Bathroom: Cruz and the NC Bathroom Law

“Grown adult men — strangers — should not be alone in a bathroom with little girls.” — Ted Cruz bashing Trump for saying people should be allowed to use whatever bathroom they choose. In case you haven’t heard, they’re arguing over North Carolina’s “bathroom law” requiring people to use bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex. One problem […]

more life ...

1 Samuel 1:27-28

Stories

Degrees of Separation

I watch the monster who is me pressing the blade into my brother’s flesh until his blood runs hot over my own flesh. I see my brother’s face, the shadow passing over it when he realizes what I’m about to do. I rewind and see him running towards me from across the field. He is just within arm’s reach. I can choose to embrace him, but instead I pull my knife from its sheath.

Abram & Sarai | A Love, a Lie, and a Promise: Part 1

She had followed Abram on this crazy journey, leaving behind all her friends and her childhood home. She never imagined it would end this way.

A Fruit by Any Other Name | Adam & Eve: Part 1

The woman had never paid much attention to the serpent, not that she could recall. He had stayed on the periphery, his voice interjecting occasionally, but always under the radar.

What Sarah Did Not Know

God did things his way and in his time, and things were not always what they seemed. He could be trusted, but he was not predictable. This much he had learned, or perhaps was still learning. How could he explain this to Sarah? How could he expect her to hope again when he could give her none of the assurances she would expect?

Mysterious Visitors | What Sarah Heard

It was not her habit to eavesdrop, but when Abraham ran into the tent and said, “Sarah, get out your best flour and bake three loaves of bread, and hurry!,” when she heard him calling the servants to quickly slaughter the calf, she was curious. Who were these men who had appeared out of nowhere, and why was Abraham so eager to entertain them?

Hagar | The Runaway and the God Who Sees

By the time she discovered the spring, her head was hot and throbbing. Dirt streaked across her face where her tears had mingled with the wilderness dust. Hagar sat down to rest, splashing the cool water on her face. For the first time since she left, she realized she had no plan.

more stories ...

Eats

fish tacos for dinner

Dinner this Week 1

seeded flatbread cracker recipe

Flatbread Crackers – The Best Recipe

Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies – Gluten Free

blueberry beet smoothie

Berry Beet Ginger Smoothie

chocolate peanut butter smoothie

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

mixed berry smoothie with organic baby spinach

Goldilocks and the Berry Smoothie

Succulent Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Crispy Skin

Dinner this Week 5

sausage gyro with Greek salad

Dinner this Week 4

green vanilla smoothie with baby spinach and pecans

Smoothies: the Ultimate Quick Fix

more eats ...

Copyright © 2019 Inky Jazz

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.