Better to Laugh

I was waiting for pedestrians to cross a store parking lot today, and I noticed that they looked nervous and hurried. Maybe they thought I was going to floor it for extra points? I really did not mind waiting and was in no hurry to get anywhere. Then I waited for a car to back out of a parking space so that I could take it. Another car was coming up the aisle, but I did not care if they took the spot, even if it meant I might have to look for another one. I went in the store, got my things, and waited in line to check out. No big deal.

As I drove away, I wondered who was driving my car, because it clearly did not resemble me on a typical afternoon. I am usually rushing in, rushing out, rushing home, and thinking about how little time I have to get everything done. Where does all of this rushing get us? Usually I find myself dropping or tripping over things, tensing up, or venting. Sitting back and enjoying the moment, no matter what it brought, was very soothing. I have never felt such peace. Is this the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and what it means to be content in any and every situation (Phil 4:12)? If so, I am going to try to give my future anxious thoughts to God and practice peace more often!

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Have you ever heard someone say, “Squirrel!” when they get distracted by something?  Well, I feel like I live on a squirrel farm.  In particiluar, the squirrels are running wild when I am on the computer.

Take last Saturday morning, for example.  I sat down at the computer to get the amount of my son’s tuition payment.  I got side tracked and completed about five other things that I had wanted to get done the previous week.  I got off of the computer and remembered I had not completed the one task I had signed on to do.  Not only that, I was going to run late getting to the bank.  I did manage to get a lot done after I left home.  Upon my return around 3 p.m., I told my sweet husband, who worked from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., about all the errands that I had completed while out and about.  He said, “Wow, you got a lot done today!”  I am glad he did not see the list of things I had intended on getting completed!

This morning is following the same pattern.  I have my list of things I want to get done, but the squirrels are loose.  It is already 11:30 a.m., and there is not one thing checked off of my “to do” list.  Wait, I did get one thing done; I got my login working on the computer again after a virus had it hijacked.  Maybe if I had skipped that, I would have more checked off of my list!

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Well, the big game is coming up this weekend.  My husband, a die-hard Packer fan, and I, a life-long Bears fan, may have to watch in separate rooms (wink, wink).  It is exciting that both teams made it to the NFC championship game!  Funny, my husband and I have so much in common, but we will always be loyal to two different teams in the NFC.  Although, I will put on a happy face and be glad for him if the Packers win, because I love him more than a team.  At least we have the AFC Colts to cheer on together! 

It will be a fun weekend, but win or lose, I will go on with my life.  Football is entertainment.  It entertains me for 5-6 months, but in terms of eternity, there are way more important relationships.  There is only one God in my life, and it isn’t football.

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As our nest gets more empty, it gets more difficult to plan for dinner.  They say it is hard to cook for just one or two people.  You know what is harder?  Cooking for one or two most nights and then having your boys, who are in their early twenties, eat dinner at home.  Sometimes, one of them brings a friend.

Last night, I made a two and a half pound meatloaf and about the same amount of mashed potatoes.  My husband worked late, so we ate before he got home.  I had to reserve some of dinner for him, because the three boys were gobbling it up!  When my husband got home, he looked at what was left and said, “Is that it?”  There was still quite a large portion, by my standards.  I guess I underestimate the male appetite!

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There are some things you want to forget, and this holiday week there have been plenty of events that I hope fade quickly from my middle-aged brain. 

12/23  On the way to Wisconsin to celebrate Christmas and bring back Terry’s mom to spend the week with us, we were rear-ended on I-94 on the north side of Chicago.  Traffic had slowed to 15-20 miles per hour, but the car behind us hit our Pathfinder going about 50 miles per hour, catapulting us forward and knocking the spare tire out from under our vehicle.  Terry saw it coming in the rearview mirror, but by the time he could say, “He is going to hit us,” BOOM, we were hit.  Terry was sitting up, but I was leaning forward, so I hit the head rest hard enough that the front of my face hurt. 

The police officer had us pull off of the highway at the next exit and go to a shopping center parking lot to fill out a report.  As we went through the parking lot, a car started backing out.  Terry honked his horn, but the guy kept backing.  We had to stop hard so that he wouldn’t hit us.  “Do we have a sign on us that says ‘Hit Me’?” I asked in exasperation.

Needless to say, we turned around and headed back home to assess the damages.  I thought I would feel a lot worse the next day, but I only had some muscle tightness in the neck, shoulders, and back.

My sister-in-law’s grandmother passed away this day, also.

12/24-25  Celebrating Christmas with friends and family was the highlight of the week.  We made some new friends Christmas Eve and celebrated Gavin’s first Christmas on Christmas Day.

12/26-28  Sunday started out fine, went for a great run and ate dinner at Miranda and Kyle’s.  We brought Gavin back home with us, along with my niece and nephew, because they didn’t want to go to their great-grandma’s funeral.  It was supposed to be a couple of days of great fun with the kids.  At about 3 a.m. on the 27th, I started getting sick out of both ends.  About an hour later, Terry started in; what can I say, we do everything together.  Gavin woke up about 5 a.m.  We had him on the bed as we took turns running to the bathroom.   We had to wave the white flag and have Gavin’s dad come get him, and my niece and nephew left a few hours after that.  What a bummer!  Terry and I were so sick the rest of the day; even after the explosions stopped, we were achy and wiped out.  I lost 5 pounds in 24 hours.  I don’t feel so great yet today, but much better than yesterday.

I keep telling myself that New Year’s eve is going to be a blast.  As long as it isn’t the same blast we had after Christmas.

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