Friday, June 11, 2010

Giving the Friday Five a Try ~


For this Friday Five, let's ponder the various ways we work out (or not), physically, spiritually, and/or psychologically:

1.  Do you work out, physically, spiritually, or psychologically?  (I'll let you define what that might mean to you.) 

Physically ~ I walk 3-4 miles almost every day, and I've started trying to go to the gym every other day.  I have to set the Nautilus weights at something like 10 pounds.

Spiritually ~ I listen to Pray As You Go most mornings, I spend a lot of my walking time in prayer, I keep a journal,  I see my spiritual director every month, and I try to do the Examen at night.

Psychologically ~ My entire life is a psychological workout.

2. Are you more inclined to join a gym or a book club?

I seem to have joined the gym (it's month-to-month.) Several of my friends formed a book club while I was off at seminary and I went once, but it didn't go so well for me.  I might try it next month, when they're discussing The Help.

3. Are you more inclined to read self-help books like Gail Sheehy's Passages or spiritual books like Richard Rohr or Theresa of Avila? And if so, what is your favorite? 

I do skim through self-help books, usually standing in a bookstore aisle.  I have shelf upon shelf of spiritual books, but I'm not sure that I have a favorite.  Maybe Thomas Merton, maybe Mary Oliver (whose poetry books I categorize as spiritual).

4. Are you a loyal fan of a sports team?  or do you join the bandwagon when the local team is winning?  And if so, which one?

I have no knowledge whatever of sports teams.

5. Or do you lean more toward having a favorite theologian/spiritual writer or self-help author and if so, who?

In addition to those listed above, I'm pretty big on Miroslav Volf these days.

Bonus: What was the last play-off series you watched and did your team win?

Probably my daughter's high school soccer tournament, which would have been 5.5 years ago.  They didn't get very far. 

4 comments:

  1. I find the gym to be an interesting place to go these days, a place where I am completely anonymous, no one knows me and no one cares whether I do a great work out or a mediocre one. It somehow feels very private inspite of the publicness of it. I like the anonymity and focus on physical exertion, a tremendous relief from all the interior work I am doing.

    but, yeah, like you, my weights are like 7 lbs dumb bells, sometimes I go up to 8 lbs. just for variety.

    I've only read Volf in Christian Century, will have to check out his work when I have a job and can buy books again.

    Thanks for playing!

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  2. I will add Volf to my list of things to read in 15 years when I figure I shall have time again for such things.

    And I'm with you on sports!

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  3. I need to read me some Volf. And, amusingly, for the past 8 years I have been walking 3-4 miles a day and listening to pray-as-you-go, every morning. I wonder if we have ever passed by one another, each in our own world...and now I thank you for letting me be a part of yours! And I am glad you have become a part of mine as well.

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  4. Would love to hear your take on The Help, Robin. Lived it as a child of the 60s in the south. Read it. Loved it. Discussed it in my book club.

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