Once upon a fall afternoon...

I went on an adventure this afternoon. Life's been fast-paced lately, and I was dizzy from too many pins, needles, and measuring tapes. So I took off my thinking mind and replaced it with my pondering one, tied some walking shoes onto my imagination, and set off down the path...

...Once upon a fall afternoon, I took a long, slow, walk, and spent time noticing the ordinary things in life that really aren't so ordinary. I'd forgotten how nice it is to slow down, turn the clocks off, and take time to enjoy the little things. Things like lazily receding flood waters, and ducks chatting about the recent home improvements as they slowly drift across larger than usual ponds, tiny plump birds hopping happily from branch to branch, and cold little lady bugs munching a good leaf on a park bench. When I came back home, the sky looked bluer, the grass looked greener, and the stack of sewing homework looked much less dizzying.

Sometimes I forget to incorporate a little bit of distraction time into my to-do list for the day, and let the hours fly by without stopping to enjoy the special moments that are riding along. The day passes, and before I know it, is gone forever. Evening comes and I find myself looking at a completed to-do list, but wondering if I really used the time wisely, or if I was just jumping briskly from task to task. Did I make any moment- much less every moment- really count? Did I remember to smile at my dad before he left for work, say good morning to my mom before starting on the day?
Sometimes I think I find so much satisfaction in being productive- completing things, perfecting things, making things, fixing things, cleaning things- that I forget to spend time on what's really important- people and relationships and living this life for Christ...

...So tomorrow, maybe I'll try to add a little bit of gazing-out-the-window time into my equation for the day, find time to seek out the little treasures that are hiding between the activities,  and focus on investing the time I've been given.

"In all of life, there is nothing so significant as the next five minutes and wether we use it to do what God lays before us..."