My Leap

Trying to embrace today as something unique, I tried to go about my day as a mini-retreat, combining healthy activities, relaxation and rejuvenation, and pleasure.  Sure, I'm home everyday, but that doesn't mean everyday is like a spa day here.  But I tried to make today one.  I ate delicious, nourishing whole foods (all vegan so far), including museli and coffee with cardamom, a portabello/kale/potato saute, celery sticks with dip, an apple with sunflower butter, and some nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, with lots of water, tea, and a homemade elderflower soda.  I walked on my treadmill for 45 minutes while listening to my current audiobook, Tracey Chevalier's tale of Regency lady-fossil hunters in Lyme Regis, Remarkable Creatures.  I did my PT exercises, including a "mandala" of lunges in different directions, some wall push-ups, and other strengthening movements.  I followed along to my lovingkindness meditation CD.  I read a chapter from Ellen Galinsky's wordy but enlightening discussion of life skills for children, Mind in the Making, for my school book club.  The book talked about studies that showed it was never too late to learn a language, so I started up my neglected Italian lessons again. I baked a lovely and fragrant gingerbread bread (aka Hodge-Podge Yeasted Gingerbread from King Arthur Flour's Baking Sheet.  Alas, not vegan.)  I crocheted a tiny bit, for the first time in a long while, inspired by the prayer shawls at church on Sunday, and wrote a letter.  I did a refreshing mid-afternoon teeth-brushing, face-washing, hair-combing perk-me-up routine.

And now I'm ready for the second part of my day, when the kiddos come home on the bus in about 20 minutes.  I don't know what our leap day will look like together--it's rainy outside which prohibits yesterday's activities of fairy-house building and pretend-mixing-"chocolate"-mud-on-a-metate-grindstone-like-the-colonists-did.  But I hope it's as wonderful as the first part of my day was.

Your One Wild and Precious Day

To paraphrase Mary Oliver, "tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious" Leap Day?

Sure, it's not really an "extra" day, in the sense of being an empty, unassigned day in limbo between Tuesday and Wednesday--it has a whole Wednesday to itself, which means it becomes just another ordinary work day.

But still, in the spirit of the date, it is special, a once-every-four-year occurrence.  And so, for the occasion, I'm trying to think of something unique or at least out-of-the-routine to do tomorrow.

I just don't know what that is yet.  Any ideas?