Today I went outside to do my Bible study and after about
five minutes I realized two things. First: My backyard is apparently infested
with daddy long legs. Second: I love my life. Yeah, I had a long summer. Four doctors, one funeral, $175
in tickets, my first car and a meat cleaver later and I am still alive to tell
the tale. That alone is a miracle.
If this summer has taught me anything at all it is how to
enjoy life when lemons are present. See, I figured out that they don’t get handed
to you. In my life at least, lemons get shot at me like small citrusy grenades.
Lemons and limes and maybe even a few avocados just to keep me on my toes.
For most of my life I have been living under the assumption that
the only chance I have of success and happiness came in between this rapid fire
of fruit but I am learning how untrue that is. The shock when you realize that
something big is about to hit you, the acceptance of your situation, the pain
of the collision. It is all part of something worthwhile. Because every bruise
has a strange sort of beauty and it is this strange beauty that we must live
in.
Laying in the grass today I wiggled my toes in the warm
sunshine. I love sunshine, it’s like a full body hug. A small spider crawled
along my book and onto my arm. I didn’t squeal or even flick it off, I just
decided to watch it. The spider crept up to my elbow and then in to the grass
before mounting my sandal in a triumphant crouch and then settling in the
shadow that it cast. In that moment I found peace. Watching that little spider
circumnavigate my book, crawl up my arm and ascend to the top of my sandal was
amusing enough but to see it pause in the cool shadow for just a moment, that
was so reassuring to me. I witnessed the trek of a fellow organism to place of
rest.
To climb mountains, navigate valleys, do life, it is all
well and good. But I am convinced that peace can be most readily found in a
pause, a single breadth of time and space where basic truth is laying. The
moments, this strange beauty, it is good. The more I reiterate this fact to myself
the more I am ok with it.
Even lemons can be nice if you take the chance to see how.
you create beauty with words. thank you for that pondering thought =)
ReplyDeleteI love this post!! I laughed so hard at "small citrusy grenades". I envy your calm and ability to ponder the beauty of the spider's journey. I get all clenched up around insects and would have flicked the poor guy immediately. You are a special person :)
ReplyDeleteThree things:
ReplyDelete1) I always enjoy reading your posts.
2) what in heavens name happened with a meat cleaver?
3) The lemons things reminds me that I always thought spankings were a bad thing, and then I came to college O.o