Today, I had to get up early and "adult." I had a dentist appointment, allergy shots, grocery shopping, and a trip to the Farmers Market. Not really a busy day, but one that awoke filled with promise.
I was up in time to see the end of a beautiful sunrise and spend some quality time with Stormy the Blue Heeler. I checked the peach tree in my yard and decided that today is the day to harvest the half dozen or so peaches that are clinging desperately to this tiny tree. As I write this, I am cooking black-eyed peas and comtemplating the joys of jelly making later in the week. These may all sound like the most boring things in the world to you, but to me, these things are full of promise.
They are the promise of blessings to be received today and in the days ahead. The promise of seeing happiness on my daughter's face when she realizes that in addition to her favorite blackberry jelly, there is also her second favorite, peach. The promise of a good meal when so many in the world go hungry. The promise of good health when I have friends who would count it a blessing to have one day with no pain or to be able to walk with their family members. And in that beautiful sunrise, the promise of another day in which I can do anything or nothing at all. The choice is mine, and that is the best promise I am given. A life of choices.
I have chosen a simple life of serving God, raising my children, teaching, and spending time with my family. Again, many people would find this boring, but I don't. I like my life of quite evenings at home, cheering on the Timberwolves with my friends at ball games, going to the fair, listening to music on the Square in Mt. View, wading in creeks, and from time to time venturing forth to see the beauty of the world God has created for us to inhabit.
Could I live a grander, more exciting life? Sure. But I choose not to. The part of me that is an introvert loves this life. My extrovert side still leads me to loud concerts and craziness with my friends, but quite contemplation always brings me back to this simple life.
