Sunday, October 9, 2011

i love...

...coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in the morning
grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup at lunch
juicy cheeseburger with all the fixings and fries for dinner
anything chocolate for dessert

but her smile—the one that lights up a room—oh, her smile
to die for!
 

...football, hockey and occasionally baseball
gladiator, braveheart, to kill a mockingbird and anything bourne
johnny carson, jimmy stewart, bruce willis and russell crowe
Scripture, a tale of two cities and anything by Andy Stanley

but her giggle—the one that tickles me down to my soul—oh, her giggle
to die for!


...the purr of a kitten
the cocking of a crow
the mournful wail of a distant train whistle
the chirping of birds and rushing water

but the way she makes me laugh—like nobody else—oh, the way she makes me laugh
to die for!


...sunrise, sunset and everything in between
night sky in all its glory
woods and fields, fields and woods
walking, walking, walking 

but the way she calls me by name—spoken or written—oh, the way she calls me by name
to die for!


her—after all these years--her
to die for!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

oblivious to the obvious

I went for a walk with my dog Charlie this morning and we saw five deer. Well, I saw five deer. Charlie was oblivious to them.

You see, despite being no more than 20 yards or so in front of us, Charlie never saw the does. That’s because he was doing, well, what he always seems to be doing: sniffing the ground like there’s no tomorrow.

Yes, he seemed to smell them once we reached the spot where they had crossed our path, and while it was no doubt a thrill for him, I can’t help wondering if it would have been more exciting had he actually seen the darn things.

Unfortunately, what happened to Charlie sometimes happens to us humans: we miss the obvious because we’re too busy to notice.

Me? I’ve missed the obvious fact that not taking time off has burned me out and contributed to a downward spiral in my mood. Even though I know intellectually it was foolish, I kept doing it. Pushing, pushing and pushing some more. So much to do and so little time. No time to take time off.

Wrong.

What about you? Are you too busy to notice the obvious in your life? What are you missing at home? Work? School? Everywhere else?

Are there warning signs right in front of you, but ones you’re oblivious to? (I know, I know, if we’re oblivious to things then, well, we haven’t seen them and aren’t even aware we’ve missed them.)

But here’s a thought: For the next few days, keep your head up and your eyes and ears open. Who or what needs your attention?

Maybe, just maybe you’ll find that you’re missing something obvious. Just ask Charlie.