A Change of Plans

I eat, I ate, I have eaten, I will eat......sounds like business as usual right?  Actually I have been working on Danish for the Danish lesson today with my temple friends.  Jeg spiser, jeg spiste, jeg har spist, jeg skal spise.  I have a list of words I am trying to memorize and a text that SK has had to go through with me word by word.

Mette, our teacher gives us children's stories or articles and has us read them together and translate.  It is not something I can wait to do until class....or else I look like a dunce.

Mette called this morning and has hurt her knee and must see a doctor, so class was called off.  Not to miss a beautiful cold gray day, SK and I took off on a walk.  We finally ended up at a store where we did some shopping for tomorrow's meal.  Kasper's brother is cooking chili.  I will make a dessert.

We carried our groceries home....SK must be getting stronger because he carries all the heavy stuff home.  I should be getting stronger too because the sacks I carry aren't light.  But in case you are wondering, I am not getting any lighter....the food here is just too good.

The YSAs of our little branch of Amager (pronounced Am mire  - rhymes with admire, but the emphasis is on the AM) planned a temple session tonight, but around 5 we heard from the YSA rep that everyone but the rep had other things come up and couldn't make it.  So SK told him, "We'll see you at the temple!"

SK went, and I stayed home.  I will serve there on Friday for 8 hours.  If there had been any of our young women at the temple tonight I would have gone for sure, but I was asked this week to make placecards for the wedding dinner of a cute YSA who is getting married next week.  I was only too happy to accept.  I have't done much calligraphy in years and it is enjoyable, although I don't have all my familiar equipment.

But since expectations aren't high, I will do my best and feel OK about it.  I spent from 6 to 11 warming up, breaking in a new dip pen, and practicing and centering names.  I worked on the cards themselves until just now - getting about half done.  After I finish here, I will go finish the rest.  Otherwise I will have to spend time warming up again if I wait til tomorrow.

Did you know calligraphy is almost like playing an instrument in that even if you do it every day, you ought to plan on taking at least 30 minutes to warm up before doing anything serious.  When I get warmed up, I put on some soft soothing music and then I begin....almost lapsing into a meditative state as pen pushes the ink around on the paper.  The noise of the metal nib scratching across the surface and the effort to keep my hand, arm and shoulders relaxed keeps me focused.

Today didn't turn out like I had planned, but it was a most enjoyable one anyway.