Country Livin'

That was the scene in my backyard the week we moved here. Here being Texas. Texas being a state I never fathomed living. Planning being the bad "P" word I have banished from my vocabulary for fear of uttering it out loud. Planning is what you do when everything is right-side up in the world. Planning is mapping out the next step in life, crossing off the ABC's of living as you go along. Planning was what I used to write on post-its and stick in that red, leather bound calender book. That was until the night I had my world shaken and that red bound calender book went with it. All that was left on that to-do list, go to market for lemons and lettuce.

I never replaced that calender. I searched high and low for one, one that felt heavy and durable and sturdy like the last one. I thought I would buy one and fill it with all sort of plans for the future--vacations, vet appointments, work days, adventures, chores, family outings.....but alas, there was none to be found.

God helped me realize, through this proverbial calender, that my tight grasp on planning the everyday, is no way to live. That check lists and to-dos are no where near the vicinity of importance when juxtaposed with the realm of living, loving, and laughing. Sure, bills need to be paid, and groceries need to be bought. But no one will find it impossible to go on without the lemons and the lettuce. Life is not sustained on lemons and lettuce alone.

Since moving to my itty-bitty town in Texas, I have found that the absence of doing, the opposing side to distraction is by far, hands down, bar none, best way to enjoy living. That my time spent in the garden, with my hands grubby, and my heart full of prayer, is cathartic for the soul. Days of brushing horses and finding barnyard kitties, or taking a drive down the country roads and popping into town for a chocolate milkshake, are much more fulfilling than that of the bleary-eyed girl determined to cross off each objective of the day, planning the next month in advance, all the while, missing the moments in between. Life is about the in between not lettuce and lemons.

Happy Weekend.