Friday Five: Rivers in the Desert

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19, NRSV

From Songbird over at RevGalBlogPals:
As we near the end of the long journey toward Easter, a busy time for pastors and layfolk alike, I ponder the words of Isaiah and the relief and refreshment of a river in the desert.

For this Friday Five, name five practices, activities, people or _____ (feel free to fill in something I may be forgetting) that for you are rivers in the desert.

The Typist here, playing alone today. (Unless Cub's at the vet, she pretty much lives in the "river..." and I pray her desert days are few and far between!)

So, my rivers in the desert:

1. The Alpha. I can hardly believe I've known him for half my life now. And been married to him for a third of my life. He's such a blessing.

2. Both dogs. Cub and Angus (aka The Boy) are basically comfort and happiness covered in fur (which they shed all over the house with reckless abandon, but that's beside the point).

3. RevGals. There's something precious about clicking on any of our huge list of blogs and enjoying a pleasant distraction (Mindy, her Weinermobile sighting, and the hilarious lead-in story), finding a need for prayer (a round of diagnostic tests for Elastigirl's the worrier), or receiving a prompt for spiritual reflection (Cheesehead's meditation on John 12:1-8)... and honestly, it doesn't matter which one of those it is. The connection is what matters.

4. Going out to eat. It's a frivolity, yes, but one that can feed me in multiple ways... allows a little break from the ordinary and the opportunity for face-to-face conversation. And it's less of a frivolity when viewed in the context of "table fellowship." I've taken a dip in this river more often than usual this week.

5. Yoga. In January, a dear church friend who is a newly-certified instructor began offering yoga sessions. Sometimes it's difficult to mentally take "this hour just for you," as she says, but even if I'm not totally into it, it helps me get a sense of renewal. (An example of not being totally into it: this week, during the meditation that ends the hour, she was leading us through a scene at a lake. In the scene, a flock of geese landed among tree stumps sticking up out of the water. One of the members of my imagined flock was he who we know as our Goose... The Boy, Angus. Our Australian Cattle Dog, who in real life occasionally does think he can fly, descended with the Canada Geese and perched uncertainly on a tree stump, giving his little honk-like whine that led to us adding Goose to his list of nicknames. It was difficult to not burst out laughing in the midst of my relaxing meditation, but at the same time, the visual was so perfect!)