Relationships and Rat Traps

As I've been thinking about expectations and how they affect our relationships with others, I've been reminded of how much impact we have in the lives of each other.

Don't believe me?

Read on, my friend...

A rat looked through a crack in the wall of the farmhouse just in time to see the farmer and his wife opening a package.

"I wonder what that is?" the rat said to himself, "Some new kind of food, perhaps?"

But the rat was disappointed to learn that the package was not food at all...but a rat trap. Retreating to the farmyard, the rat proclaimed the following to all who could hear him:

"There is a rat trap in the house now! There is a rat trap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, then raised her head and said, "I can tell, Mr. Rat...that this is a grave concern to you...but it is of no consequence to me! I cannot be bothered by your petty problems!" The chicken went on scratching in the dirt.

The rat saw the pig nearby and told him the news. "There's a rat trap in the house now, Pig!"

The pig smiled sympathetically at the rat. "I am so very sorry for you, Mr. Rat, but there's nothing I can do about it. So sorry..."

The rat turned to the cow. "Did you hear that there's a rat trap in the house?"

The cow nodded knowingly, "Yep, I heard that, Rat. It's too bad...but it's no skin off my nose now, is it?"

The rat, now feeling very dejected, hung down his head and went slowly back into the farmer's house...to face the trap alone.

And...that very night...a sound was heard throughout the farmyard. SNAP! The trap had caught its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to it. But in the darkness, she could not see the venomous snake whose tail was stuck in the trap, and the snake bit the farmer's wife.

The farmer rushed her to the hospital...and she returned home...with a fever.

Everyone knows that one of the ways to treat a fever is with chicken soup, so the farmer got out his hatchet and went out to the farmyard for the main ingredient.

However, the wife's sickness continued, and as friends and family came to take care of her around the clock, the farmer killed the pig in order to feed them.

But the wife did not get well...and died one night. So many people turned out for her funeral that the farmer's cow was sacrificed so that they could eat after the service.

The rat watched all of this from the crack in the wall with great sadness.

The moral is: the next time that you hear someone facing a problem and think that it doesn't concern you...remember, when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

That's why encouraging each other and keeping an eye out for each other is so important. Relationships matter!!!

I know we're all busy...each day I myself have the potential to need to be in four places at once. We can't 'do it all'...that's not what I mean. But we cannot keep saying, "I don't have time." or "I'm too busy." or "Maybe tomorrow." Don't put off the relationships in your life...pick one person to really connect with this week, okay?

A yoke...over easy.

I went to my daughter's play rehearsal this evening. In an effort to save on some gas and to see her 'in action'.

I watched the students move a large set piece off of the stage in order to get ready to rehearse. At first, there were three of them trying to move it...and it wouldn't budge.

At one point I think someone said, "I can't hold onto this much longer. It's too heavy!"
And that got me to thinking some more about this idea of verbs and nouns and 'expectancy' vs. 'having expectations'.

I think we should live expectantly. I think that's what God does with us...just as The Shack mentioned.

I think we should change our expectations into expectancy...take them from the noun form that they are and turn them into action.

When I consider this idea as I think about how I relate to others...I'd much rather 'live expectantly' than 'have expectations'. They (expectations) seem 'heavy' to me...and carry with them the burden of the possibility of disappointment.

It's a good visual for me. This idea of my holding onto something tightly...to the point of white-knuckling. To hold onto a selfish expectation that life should 'go my way for crying out loud!'(you know...just for example), is like holding desperately onto a heavy set piece...wanting someone to come and take some of that weight away...to make that load lighter.

As I'm learning to embrace God's love for us (for me!) in such a way that...while God knows what we're going to do (and that, my friends...is my belief!)...and to consider that He is there...expectantly living with me...that He has this hope for what He's created...that He just....wants to be a part of my life...even when I do (or don't do) what He 'expected'...well, I think that's what grace looks like...

When I think about my relationships with difficult people...and how they have never (well...rarely, for sure!) met my selfish expectations of what they should be...and how distressed I get about that...the refreshing change of heart that happens when my trying to see them (to see you!)as the human being that God created and whom God expectantly watches with me...to remember that He's on my team...makes it a little easier for me to live expectantly...rather than grip so tightly onto those heavy expectations of mine...tenaciously holding onto them and then throwing them down when they disappoint me.

But that's just me...anyhoo...

Back to the rehearsal...

at one point, I heard some kid holler, "Hey, can I give you a hand?"

And that's what I think I hear God hollering to me...as my knees buckle under the expectations...those heavy, weighty objects that they tend to be. Expectancy moves me in the right direction. Having expectations just weighs me down.

"God! Grab that corner!" I hear myself say.

My friends, stop trying to carry it all yourself. Give God a hand...

and give yourself a hand too! You are so loved!!!

Joy Dishwashing Soap

Last time I wrote, I got some good questions about the whole verb/noun alive/dead stuff I mentioned...and some more thoughts on expectations vs. expectancy.

So...I thought we'd think about these a little more this week. I realize that perhaps you have not read The Shack...and maybe I'm making assumptions of you (or have expecatations??) and need to clarify my ideas. Even if I don't have to clarify...this fascinates me; so I'm going to enjoy talking more about it.

And I have a selfish reason. I don't want to wash my dishes.

As I have done in the past, I'm going to ask dictionary.com to help me with the literal meaning of words.

Here's one definition of expectations.

Expectations: Prospects, especially of success or gain.

Ah, excellent! This is great. My friends, that is what I want us to focus on for a moment.

Notice what the dictionary says: "especially of success or gain".

Interesting. When we have an expectation, dictionary.com indicates that that expectation is for success or gain.

In other words, "I will gain something from this expectation. And it will be a good something. I will benefit from having this expectation met in a successful way."

I think I can safely say that most 'good' expectations come from repeated 'good' actions getting repeated 'good' (or successful) results.

Majority wins, yes?

For example, let's say I have dirty dishes in the sink.


I ask my daughter to wash the dishes on Monday evening.

And she does. The dishes are done! WOO HOO!

Success! My instructions were followed, and something good came from that.

When I give instructions to my children and they follow my instructions, learning/doing something 'good'...I am pleased and I will expect them to do the same thing next time.

Okay...so now it's Tuesday night. And I ask Hannah to wash the dishes.
And again, lo and behold...she does what I ask.

Excellent! Success again!

So the next time I give instructions to my children and they follow them and again...the outcome is successful. WOO HOO! I am doing something right....my kids are doing something right...and it's all good. So I write the expectation down in my head.

Hannah washes the dishes four nights in a row. In fact, on Thursday, I didn't even ask. She just did it.

Again. It's good. My instructions are being followed. She knows what I want! I don't even have to ask her. She just does it.

BRILLIANT!



Now it's Friday. I walk into the kitchen...with the expectation that Hannah has done the dishes just like she has done for the past four evenings and...

and...

there are dirty dishes in the sink and Hannah is nowhere to be found.

This time...there is not success. What has happened here? Did Hannah forget? Weren't my instructions clear? I mean, I didn't even have to ask her to do them last night and she did them anyway! What is going on?

I am not happy.

My 'good' instructions were not followed. And because my instructions weren't followed...I'm going to have a talk with Hannah. Because this is not acceptable. It's not good.

My expectation has not been met in a positive way. It.is.not.good.

I am not happy with the outcome. I am not happy with my kids. In fact, you know what?? I may punish Hannah for not following my instruction. She knew the instructions I gave her and didn't follow them.

Now. Deep breath here.

Re-read that whole example of Hannah and the dishes. I'll wait.

*muzak plays softly in the background. C. sings robustly with Air Supply's 'All out of Love'*

Did you notice how much the word "I" (in various forms) was used??

About 30 times.

"My" and "I". "I" am in control of things. I gave the instruction. I bought the dishes. And....and...I even gave birth to the kid for crying out loud!

It was me! I am in control of this situation.

Or at least, one would think that I would be in control of this situation.

And it wasn't a bad thing! I mean, it's not like I asked Hannah to do something hurtful!

It should have worked out! While it was good, while it was successful...while the dishes were getting washed each night...I felt like I had control.

What happened to my control on Friday? Didn't Hannah know I was in control of the dishes? I thought she did. I gave her the dishes to do...and she didn't do them.

I should have control over Hannah...as I mentioned...I MADE her!!

For some reason I don't know....Hannah over-rode my expectation by not following my instruction. She did what SHE wanted...not what I wanted!!!

And what happened then? Not anything good, I can tell you that! Because my expectation was a good one...and should have been obeyed.

It's not fair!

Where is the joy when your expectation is NOT met?

I can't see the future...hm...I don't know if Hannah's going to make that mistake again or not....hm....and hm....I guess that I am not really in control of things like I thought I was.

My friends....I know that this is long...we'll look at this some more tomorrow.

I'm going to leave you with this thought:

Expectations come from our selfish desires that the things we want...the people we deal with...the situations we find ourselves in are met with success in our favor. Because when those expectations are met to our satisfaction, we think we're in control.

But...sadly...we are not in control. Not really. Because people are involved...and people are surprising...and people make mistakes. We can't make them do the things we want.

And experience joy. Not consistently, anyway.


Again, we are not in control.

Only God is.

God is.

Dishes...joy. Hm....guess I gotta go do those dishes now. You have a good day!

It wasn't what I expected!

Right now Christmas is on my mind.

I know...it's only September. I can hear you now..."C., you're as bad as the stores that have their decorations up as soon as the school supplies are sold in August!"

I know.

In fact, I'm listening to Christmas music right now.

And I'm working hard on the Christmas musical we're going to perform at church.

So you see, Christmas is on my mind.

And you know...when I get excited about something, I repeat myself.

Did I mention that Christmas is on my mind?

Okay...okay. Here's why. Really and truly.

I just finished reading "The Shack" by William P. Young. It's an amazing book. Seriously. I haven't been this excited about a read since 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'.

And do you know why? It wasn't what I expected.

Which is, in fact, the beauty of it. I don't want to tell you all about the book...because I want to encourage you to read it for yourself. However, I will say that one (of the many!) ideas this book presents is the subtle difference between verbs and nouns.

Verbs are alive.
Nouns are dead.

Stop yawning! This isn't going to be a tiresome grammar lesson! But think about that for a moment.

Now think about Christmas.

Is your heart starting to clench? Did you begin to consider all the things you HAVE to do to get ready for it? The cost of the gifts, decorations, food? The get togethers where you have to see people you don't really want to see but you're expected to go....so you go...and ugh. 'C,' I can hear you say, 'I don't even WANT to think about Christmas!'


Why?

Simply moving a word from a noun form to a verb form has transformed how I think about Christmas...as well as other aspects of my life.

I've been thinking about this for the past couple of days. One thing I struggle with is expectations.

Expectations of myself...of others...of job situations...of people driving their Chryslers...of waitresses...and expectations of God.

I have a lot of those. And the expectations I believe God has for me.

Except that God is a verb...not a noun. "I am" not just "I".

Alive and moving.

So...expectations...which are a noun...are dead.

Instead...try 'expectancy'.

I think that's why we adults dread Christmas to the degree that we do. We are taking care of the expectations. Expectations of gifts for children. Expectations of parents who are planning dinners. Expectations of retailers regarding our spending. We have expectations about a Christmas bonus from our job to equal or be more than what we received the year before. We have expectations about the weather and snowfall.

We, as adults, are nouns. Dead.

But children....children are! They are expectant.

When I was a kid, we had an advent calendar that held a piece of candy. And each day we got a little closer to Christmas. Something wonderful was going to happen on Dec. 25th. We looked forward to it. Without expectations.

I think that's what we've lost! Oh sure, kids may have gift expectations...but they (for the most part) are expectant. Looking forward to what will happen.

There is energy there. In that expectancy.

Isn't it the same thing, C? I mean, expectations...expectancy...what's the diff?

Expectations follow rules. They bind us. They keep us from experiencing joy.

Expectancy however, is freeing.

It's about control, folks. And disappointment rarely shows up when one is expectant. But when one has expectations...like I did that certain Christmas morning when I got the wrong Adam Ant album...disappointment shows up and kills joy.

Expectancy allows joy to happen.

Joy to the World!


And so, as I think about God...instead of thinking I'm not meeting His expectations...I think...He's watching me expectantly...involved with my life...not just judging my actions...or inactions...but actively involved.

And me? Instead of expecting God to do this or that...I just...expect God!

Do you see what I mean? Can you feel that energy at all?

Hm...maybe it's just me. And that's okay. Because I don't really have any expectations about your response.

Oh! One more thing...by thinking in verbs...rather than nouns...there's a good chance I'll burn off some of those Christmas cookie calories, you know what I'm saying?

Does it taste like chicken?

One of my most favorite books is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I still remember the day I plucked it off the shelf in Mr. Jones' 6th grade reading class. I read it every so often even now as an adult and I'm always seeing something in a different way each time. It is one of the most entertaining, colorful, meaningful, thought-provoking, instructing books for children I've ever read. I can't believe that it's not required reading!

Why Phantom Tollbooth, you ask? Well...it talks of words and numbers. Of reason and rhyme. Of logic and music and boredom and Humbugs and Demons and Milo. Here's a piece of it to (ahem) whet your appetite:

[Milo, a young boy, finds himself in a strange new land and at one point he is invited to the King's Royal Banquet.]

"Are you ready with the menu?" asked the Humbug.

"Well," said Milo,remembering that his mother had always told him to eat lightly when he was a guest, "why don't we have a light meal?"

"A light meal it shall be!" roared the bug, waving his arms.

The waiters rushed in carrying large serving platters and set them on the table in front of the king. When he lifted the covers, shafts of brilliant-colored light leaped from the plates and bounced around the ceiling, the walls, across the floor, and out the windows.

"Not a very substantial meal," said the Humbug, rubbing his eyes, "but quite an attractive one! Perhaps you can suggest something a little more filling."

"Well, in that case," said Milo, "I think we ought to have a square meal of ----,"

"A square meal it is!" shouted the Humbug again.

And again the waiters bring in trays full of steaming squares of all sizes and colors.

"Ugh!" said the Spelling Bee, tasting one, "these are awful!"

No one else liked them very much either, and the Humbug got one caught in his throat and almost choked.

"Time for the speeches!" announced the King. He pointed to Milo. "You first!"

"Your majesty, ladies and gentlemen," started Milo timidly, "I would like to take this opportunity to say that in all the -----"

"That's quite enough!" snapped the King. "Next!"

"Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, vanilla ice cream," recited the Humbug.

"What a strange speech!" thought Milo, for he'd heard many in the past and knew that they were supposed to be long and dull.

"Hamburgers, corn on the cob, chocolate pudding-p-u-d-d-i-n-g," said the Spelling Bee.

And so down the line it went, with each guest rising briefly, making a short speech and then sitting back down. Finally the king said,

"Pate' de foie gras, soupe a l'oignon, faisan sous cloche, salade endive, fromages et fruits et demi-tasse," he said carefully and clapped his hands again.

The waiters bring in trays filled with exactly what each person said, and everyone began eating with great gusto.

"I can't say that I think much of your choice," said the Humbug to Milo.

"I didn't know that I was going to have to eat my words." objected Milo, looking at his plate.


Wow....

I can see the banquet table in my mind...this big ol' long wooden table...with guests seated down both sides...and candlesticks and goblets...and I can even smell the food! The chocolate pudding, the French stuff the king eats...it's vivid. It's clear. It's almost palatable.

And I see Milo's plate. Full of grey, lumpy, wilted words.

Kinda the consistency of oatmeal...but worse.

Yuck.

Our words are so amazing, aren't they? I mean, in this book they are actually food. The people actually DO eat their words!

Lemme ask you a question.

What would your words taste like?

Think about that for a second.

Smooth like pudding? Sweet like ice cream? Buttery like corn? Hot, fresh, filling like bread? Perhaps tangy...like an orange?

Maybe your words are sour...or peppery...perhaps people make faces when they hear what you have to say...or begin coughing. Or crying.

There's this cliche' that Juster must've known about that says we are to make sure our words are sweet...for we may have to eat them.

I don't know about you...but there are some days that I just want to diet.

Not say a word at all....because it will not be good...or nourishing. In fact, sometimes I think my words can be cholesterol to the soul.

Ugh.

And not the good cholesterol either!!

Choose your words carefully today, my friends...and think of Milo. Bon appetite!

...and again I say...

There's a Jaws movie marathon going on this week on tv. My son Jacob saw the first one and (pun intended!) was hooked! He made us watch Jaws II last night.

Yeah, I said "made us."

So...I've had fish on my mind the past couple of days. In fact, I found myself in the book of Jonah the other day. In the Bible, Jonah finds himself in the belly of a fish. He prays to God. Chapter Two says, "In my distress I called out to the Lord and He answered me!"

This past week I've found myself feeling as though I, too, am in the belly of a fish.

Could be a Great White Shark at this point. Painful...ugly stuff.

So...I followed Jonah's example...called out to the Lord in my distress...

"Hey! You! Life is kinda sucky right now! I know...You know that already. Things aren't really turning out like I'd hoped, you see...and I'm feeling overwhelmed and unamused and really...very ticked off because I'm inconvenienced...and tired...and struggling with my self image...and I don't have enough money and I'm trying really hard not to whine, God....but I'm feeling whiny! So...since I'm so miserable right now...I'm going to ask You what You're going to do about it! So...what's it going to be? Do I sit here in this mess forever now? Tell me what I'm doing wrong and I'll fix it!"

and do you know what? He answered me.

By giving me money and taking away the inconveniences?

Um....no. Not exactly.

He answered me this way...

By making me listen to a Sunday morning sermon message that talked about finding Joy in everyday living.

ergh!....um....hm....I furrow my eyebrows...and call out to God again...again very distressed.

"HA HA....very funny, God! A message on joy. How appropriate! How typical! How bloomin' annoying is that!!?? Look, okay...I'm not really sitting here wishing for a million dollars or a model's body or a 34 hour day. I know what limitations are! But joy?! See, I already told you that I'm NOT feeling that way right now!!! AUGH! You're not listening!!! Don't you listen?!"

and do you know what? He answered me.

By giving me a model's body after all?

Um...no. Not exactly.

I heard from Him because I was reading the Bible. I found myself in the book of Phillipians this time. Or, as I like to call it..."the book that really overuses the word 'rejoice'."

Sigh. Very. Funny. Again. Boy...I tell you, my friends...sometimes I picture God just rolling around on His Golden Floor...holding His stomach and laughing so hard He's crying...as He watches the expressions on my face.

Not laughing AT me...like in a mean way...but laughing. Hard.

Cuz He knows I love a good joke.

He made me. He knows what I can handle.

It's me that doesn't really know what I can handle. Hence my frustration. My worry. My non-joy-ness.

First verse I read was the one I had underlined at some point. Chapter 2, verse 14: "Do all things without grumbling or disputing."

You gotta be kidding me!!

I hear Him giggling. Struggling to keep it under control...but giggling nonetheless.

I shut up right then. Just put the book down and thought about that.

How does that work? Not grumbling? I mean, really? How do you do that?

How do I do that?

For several days now, I've been wondering about that...almost fearful of speaking...because I've been so near to doing one of two things....either crying. Or screaming.

Feeling. Very. Grumbly.

I want very much to have joy. To rejoice.

Joy. What is that, anyway?

Webster's dictionary says that joy, as a noun, is 'the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires."

Uh huh. Yeah, that's me. Snort.

"Um...God? Did you hear what I said? I don't have success, good fortune and well-being right now. So how do I feel joy again?"

"Pssst...(heehee)C....look at(hoohoo)the second part of that."

"what? You mean 'the prospect of possessing what one desires?'"

hm....

"Is that a thing, God? What I desire?"

"You tell me. What do you want?"

What do I want? I want...I want a lot of things, my friends. And what I want is more than just some Santa Claus wish list. I mean, yes...there are things I want...reasonable things...not just toys...or something that is just for me, you know?

I mean...I want things like peace...and I want my kids to have a good school year...and I want to be a good wife...and I want to find some good landscaping plans for my yard...and I want to be more like Jesus...and I want to hire a maid to clean my kitchen...and I want the dogs to be flea-free...and I want the Cardinals to win all their games...and I want to make people who feel bad feel better...and I want some chips and salsa right now...even tho I know it's only 7:30 in the morning.

In the middle of all of that...do you see what I see?

Go ahead...read it again.

We'll come back to that here in a sec. What I want to do now is look at the word "rejoice".

Huh. Will you look at that? Rejoice is right across from Reindeer in my dictionary. Makes me think of Christmas.

Which I find rather funny, since it's supposed to be around 90 degrees today.

Webster's says that rejoice is, as a verb, this:

"to give joy to".

Hm....

Which reminds me again, of Christmas. A little. We give things to people at Christmas. Gifts...I like receiving gifts...but I really like giving gifts. As I get older, I find myself watching the kids open their stuff and forget to open my own packages.

Another thing about gifts? Some of us are good at re-gifting. Oh, they may call it re-cycling, I suppose.

Re-gifting. Re-cycling. Re-joicing.

Re-joicing. "to give joy to".

My friends, I do not get it right all the time. I make a lot of mistakes. I'm selfish...and prideful...and...

And I grumble.

But in my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me.

"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in Him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let requests and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things that are true, noble, authentic, compelling, reputable, gracious--the best, not the worst...the beautiful, not the ugly...things to praise, not things to curse."

Those aren't my words. They're Paul's.

Celebrate God...help them...don't worry...God's wholeness...settle you down...things that are true.

Things that are true? God loves me. Has a relationship with me. One that is becoming more and more each day. He's with me. Even when He's giggling. Especially when He's giggling.

Paul (the writer) goes on and says, "I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."

Wow.

I want to be more like Jesus. Like God. Rolling on a floor and laughing at myself. Remembering that He's in control. That I don't have to worry.

And I want you to have joy too.

So here I am.

Rejoicing.

...and still thinking about chips and salsa. Joy makes me hungry!

Get Lost. Er...I mean...Found.

When we were growing up, my sister had several skills that I didn't possess.

She was quick and agile...like a ninja. Once, she stabbed me in the leg with a pencil before I could say, "Number Two".

She could make quick decisions. "I don't want to play your game. Let's play Barbies."

And she was also quick at getting lost.

She got lost in the mall one time. She was supposed to stay with me...but she got bored and wandered off. I think we were in a bookstore...or was it a shoe store? I can spend hours in either place...just enjoying the smell of new books and new shoes...so please forgive me. My memory's a little fuzzy here...because all I can really recall now is my panicked Mom when she realized Jill was missing. At one point, only dogs could hear her frenzied rant.

What's that? Oh, we found her. She was fine. Looking at clothes in Lerner's, I think.

And another time she got lost was in the cornfield next to our house. We would play hide and seek in the corn...and go in a couple of rows or so...and then run out of the corn. Only I think she must've gotten turned around and ran farther into the corn than I did.

Or I might've convinced her it was a good idea. I mean, c'mon...that pencil stabbing hurt! And I don't even have to tell you how unhappy I was with her Barbie decision.

What's that? Oh, my Dad found her that time.

Again Jill came back. She'd been lost. And then found.

Recently, Jill got a new car. And it's got a navigational system built into it.

My guess is that she'll never get lost again.

Well...as long as she's driving in her car.

Speaking of driving in a car, I got lost once while driving home from college with a boyfriend of mine. Who had a very poor sense of direction.

Or was it simply a very carefully plotted plan to spend more than 45 minutes with me? Hm....or perhaps he was a huge Gilligan's Island fan...because that relatively short drive home quickly became a three hour tour.

A Three. Hour. Tour.

Now I'm not going to say that the weather started getting rough, but when we finally got home...his Dad was not happy. You see, this was many...many...years ago. Before cell phones were in the hands of teens...and waaaaayyyyy before GPS.

Of course, a simple roadmap might've helped...but Tim didn't seem to possess one of those. You know, now that I think about it, I don't know why I even went out with him in the first place!

But I'm getting off track.

And 'getting off track' is exactly what I wanted to talk about!

It's as simple as turning left instead of right. Of walking into the store next door...or the next corn row.

It doesn't take much.

It doesn't take long, either. Before we're driving/walking/running in circles...

desperately wanting someone to help us get back...or stubbornly believing in our own power to find our way.

Sometimes it seems very overwhelming. We can lose hope...we can worry...we can project that things will never be the way that they were! We'll never find our way out! WE'LL BE STUCK HERE IN FINDLAY FOREVER, TIM! TURN THE CAR AROUND AND JUST GO BACK! WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME? WE'RE GONNA BE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE! WHEN WE GET HOME...IF THAT EVER HAPPENS...I'M BREAKING UP WITH YOU AND DATING YOUR BROTHER! DO YOU HEAR ME!

Sorry...off track again.

Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Think of what you've lost recently. Has time gotten away from you? Is there a project you've been putting off? Perhaps you've overspent this month...and your budget's out of whack. Maybe you've not been exercising...or overeating...or both! Maybe you haven't called that person you've been meaning to call.

Whatever you've lost...take a moment now and think about it.

Maybe you hadn't even realized how far off you'd gotten. Maybe it's just one step.

And now think about this...

the best part of getting lost? Is being found.