Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Lost in the Beauty of Spring

I took a little drive this week down a country road, headed for an appointment. As I traveled along I began to revel at how very blue the sky was. Bluer than it had been in ages. It was bursting with white billowy clouds, as though it had been inadvertently overstuffed and they were somehow falling out. There was green grass covering hills and meadows, along with tiny buds on many of the trees. Some of those trees were wearing blossoms of pink or white. It seemed as though the entire earth had come back to life again, finally! 
Before long it occurred to me that I had gone too far and had missed my turn quite a way back. The sensation of panic and the feeling of being lost began to flood me. This was absolutely ridiculous, of course, because I was only ten minutes away from home in totally familiar territory. While I was still in that all over sweat mode, and considering turning around to head back in the opposite direction, I spotted the landmark I usually watch for along this route. There it stood, like a beacon, ahead of me in the distance. Wait a minute. Really? Okay, wow! This adds a whole new dimension to being lost. I often find myself being off with the fairies if I am alone in the car. My spirit wanders and takes my mind along for the ride. If the day is a particularly fine one, well then, who knows where I might find myself. While I was never truly lost, I had been lost in the beauty of the budding Springtime that enveloped my senses. I had become one with the day.
That sky with its utter blueness had caused me to keep going forward and forward with no sense of time or space. It beckoned to me, while at the same time surrounding me and holding me in its embrace. No longer did I have a sense of mere self, I was an integral part of the whole.
Technically, I was not alone. Riding next to me, in his little crate, keeping a watchful eye on me, was my nine-month-old poodle, Percy. The appointment I was heading for pertained to him, however, he offered no help with directions. Basically, he couldn't have cared less where our destination was. As long as he gets to go along with his mommy, he's a really happy boy. For him, the joy is always in the journey. (I think there just might be a lesson to be learned from his sweet attitude).
Since time was of the essence though, I began to reign myself in. I'm here to tell you there was a war within me. While still feeling a bit mentally confused, albeit relieved, to find I was not actually the great distance down the road that I thought I was, I was also disappointed. A big part of me wanted to remain in that euphoric place of dreamland. The battle was almost otherworldly, as I forced myself to shake off my dreamlike state and carry on with the task at hand.
But I took the usual turn, and glancing at the clock I realized I was cutting the time pretty closely. Apparently, I had been moving in slow motion while floating along with those irresistible, fluffy clouds. No matter, I knew I could make it on time. I only had one more turn to take off this long, busy street. Eventually, I would turn right onto a road that's so small that it's easy to buzz right past it if you aren't paying close attention. Well, being in the state of mind, or rather the mood of spirit, I was in, buzz right past it was exactly what I did! Seriously?!
It became evident, at that point, that I needed to make a call to the veterinary clinic to make my feeble excuses as to why I was about to be late. After all, I had only been there once before and the building does sit back, kind of out of sight on that out of the way road...(no mention was made of my otherworldly state of being).
Being late is a dragon I have slain, for the most part, over the years with the help of living with a very punctual husband. I don't like for my tardiness to reak potential havoc on the busy workday schedule of someone else. But they were extremely gracious and in the end, I was only five minutes late. 
Though I still don't like to be inconsiderate to the valuable time of others with my lateness, I am thankful that in this instance no harm was done.  
There are times when I find it is actually quite valuable to us to have our head in the clouds. Although I didn't like the psychological feelings associated with being lost or late, my overall day was an extremely wonderful and refreshing one. What it did for me mentally, emotionally, and spiritually was like rain soaking a dry and thirsty land. It was even physically good for me because I slept better that night than I had for many nights prior to that. Sleep does not always come easily to me.
So, what were some of those random thoughts that were taking up so much space in my mind, or more accurately, in my spirit, as I drove down that country road? Here are a few that I remember:
"How can a sky be so blue?!"
"God, what made you choose blue as the color for the sky and the ocean and so many things that soothe our souls?"
"Oh my goodness! The grass is getting green everywhere!"
"There are pink flowers on the trees again!"
"I wonder if it's possible to keep driving until you end up in the clouds?"
"Those bushes are covered in big white flowers, I wonder what those are called..."
"I have to remember to stop and visit with the geese at the park on the way home."
"That sky..."
I love the changing of the seasons. Spring with its continual rebirth and renewal and Summer with its lush fullness are my favorite seasons. But I have learned to be happy with each season, each day,  as it comes, no matter how it is clothed. I believe this is what God meant by giving us our daily bread. I also believe it is the key ingredient to living a meaningful life full of purpose. As humans, we are prone to making much ado out of nothing, whereas God's ways are simple. He means for us to enjoy the journey along the way. He wants times of rest for our souls. He desires that we live in the moment, being anxious for nothing, without always rushing ahead. He doesn't mean for us to borrow the troubles of tomorrow, while still breathing in the joys of today. He offers us rest, which gives us restoration. Days like I had on that country road when I was lost for a time, are moments of restoration for the soul. They are individual Sabbath moments when we connect with God through nature. I think Percy and I might just take another ride in the country next week when we have no place to be and all the time in the world to get there.
"If you . . . call the Sabbath a delight . . .
then you shall take delight in the Lord,
and I will make you ride upon the 
heights of the earth."
Isaiah 58:13-14

4 comments:

  1. Hi Dannette! Spring is my favorite season. Seeing everything come to life awakens my spirit. I try to enjoy Winter too but that's a hard one for me. I wish it could be Spring year round.
    xx Beca

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    1. I agree Beca. Spring awakens my spirit as well. Winter's get very long towards the end. I always enjoy them in the beginning when the snow is fresh and glittery. But then I get extremely anxious for the mildness of Spring.

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  2. Such gorgeous photos of spring!! It's still in the teeniest, tiniest bud season here in Toronto, but I did see one daffodil so far! it's coming. :)

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    1. Thanks Julie! I'm sure you need those fingerless mitts still in Toronto. There are still days here that we need them too! We had snow a few days ago!

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Thank you for taking time to chat with me ~
Your comments make me so Happy!
Have a lovely day.
Danette