I was hoping to share something profound with you this Monday morning, but alas I am so distracted by creatures around me this morning that I decided instead to invite you to join me on my deck for an imaginary quick cup of coffee. It is so beautiful out with birds singing and calling from all directions, that I thought you too might like a mental break.
Imagination and images are wonderful ways to rest the mind and renew the spirit once in awhile. Sometimes distractions can actually be renewing for our minds and spirits!
A couple of weeks ago, Tom and I made a big purchase for us. We are at the age when we are reducing our accumulation of things rather than buying more. But this is a big one. We bought a 10′ x 12′ canvas gazebo for our deck. We love our raised deck as it faces our back yard, but there are so few hours we can truly enjoy it, either because of too much direct sun (except for this year so far) or no sun, making it too cool for comfort.
We love it. It is like a whole new room of beige and brown. It has a high canopy to let in the sun. There is a brown mesh curtain that keeps out bugs to some degree and then heavier curtains to draw for protection against wind or rain. The mesh is barely visible, however, making it easy to accidentally try to walk through, like a spider web you cannot see.
I am “working” out here. Sort of. There are just some small distractions…
I am working on my book with new passion these days. I think the title is going to be something like, Led by the Shepherd: Ancient Wisdom and Comfort for Contemporary Parents. Passion is present but it is still requiring new levels of commitment from me to stop talking about it and actually write it!
I easily get distracted . . .
Something caught my eye. It was Little Toad crawling up the mesh netting. It kept losing its grip and tumbling down. Then it tried again. And again. It has made me go “aww” and giggle at its sincere explorations of an unfamiliar place.
I could relate. “Things are not as easy as they look, are they?” I say to Little Toad.
It found its way under the netting. Right now he is sitting still in the sun.
I think Little Toad is lost. I just may need to help him get back out.
But I love watching God’s creation. Creatures of all sizes and shapes remind us of the gift of life. And we too are creatures of the planet. We all depend on our next breath to sustain life. We depend on the perfection of universal laws every single second. What if, for example, all of a sudden there was no gravity? Oops.
So as a creature myself, I celebrate with deep gratitude the gift of life with “all creatures great and small” who share the planet with us.
With a fresh deep breath and a “thank you” on my lips, I step back out of your world and into the joy of my own work!
Thank you, Little Toad, for stopping by and reminding us to laugh and be grateful. The littlest packages often carry the biggest treasures.