Signs Along the Way

Do you sometimes wake up disgruntled?  There are times when life is smooth as silk and we move along effortlessly and peacefully.  Then there are times when we can clearly name that which is causing a pain in our behinds, and while there is a pain… we can name it and either learn to live with it or do the best we can to change or absolutely embrace the circumstances.  What woke me up and disgruntled me today is the fact that I’m thirsting for some semblance of order in my life.  Huh?  Yeah, I know.  I love being this free spirit and marching to my own drum most of the time, but today I just wanted to wake up with a plan.  I want to know where I stand and what the next best step is and how the best way to take that next step might be.  I’d really like to know where I’m headed.  Chances are, in this crazy time in our world, we’d all like a crystal ball moment.

But, guess what?  No fortune telling around here.  So… I did what I know.  Laundry.  Dishes.  Feeding the birds and my Chloe girl.  Making lists.  Hauling the trash.  Oh, yes.  You’ve heard me speak of hauling the trash before.  And, oh, yes, stinky, stinky, stinky.  And as a matter of fact, the bottom bag in the outside trash bin was covered in future maggots.  Dis-gus-ting!!!!  Needless to say, I was not a happy camper.  But, as always, I threw Chloe in the car, grabbed my camera, and got going.  And as usual, I was in a hurry to get there due to the stench, but once the car was unloaded, my franticness stilled.  What really caught my attention on the ride home was this sign:

Wow.  Look at that.  That’s my life!  Not here to there in a straight line, but curvy and vivacious and unexpected… the road of my life is to get there when you arrive!!  Oh, and check that out.  The speed limit drops to 35.  If one travels from point A to point B via the straight route… then full speed ahead.  If, however, you are on a meandering path where you never really know what’s around the next bend… do yourself a favor and slow down.  Hear that?  Slow down.  Why do I resist?  What do I feel the urge to be productive in every moment?  Isn’t slowing down productive?  Umm... the answer is... a big, fat yes!!


And so, I took the sign’s advice and slowed my car to below the speed limit.  I pulled over time and again so others in their hurry could pass me.  I traveled at the speed of a starling (yes, we went along together and I checked to see how fast he was flying!  He was going about 18 mph.)  Soon I was discovering more and more life, both outside of the car and within it.  Soon everything was teaching me, encouraging me, helping me to make peace with life just as it is today.  Want to see?

All along the way, Chloe and I observed life, and none of it seemed in a hurry to be in a different place or to be transformed into some other way of living.  The wheat grew.  The stream lulled.  The blackbird sat at the top of the tree just soaking in the view.  The old barn grew beautifully so day by day.  And the wild daisies and roses happily decorated the sides of the road.

The tiger lilies are blooming now.  It won't be long before they rest for another year, but for today their job is to be open and to share colorful joy.  Upon our arrival home, this squirrel greeted us.  Most often, squirrels are on the move... busy, anxious, in a hurry to find their next nut.  I guess this one found one in me.  So, we chatted a bit.. Chloe and I from the car and he from the tree.  And before I knew it, I was laughing, Chloe was barking and the squirrel decided these nuts were best left alone.

Some days, we've just got to be... not about productivity or profit or fame... just about tending to the sweet slowness of growing and unfolding.

Some days, the only way to find out who we are and where we are going is to stand in our own field and see what's here.