City Street

The red tree 

I'm reading this book right now called Cold Tangerines. One chapter Shauna wrote talks about a month if her life where she almost missed the beauty in each moment. She was so busy with her to-do list and planning and making plans that she missed the simple delights in life. She missed she changing of the season peeking through the trees, and a tree in particular that had turned firey red and filled her with all sorts of warm fuzzy feelings. And I realized my life is like that all the time. And well, you'll see what I mean if you keep reading. Ironically, my daily calendar that sits on my bedside table and gives me small glimpses of godly truth has been talking about to-do lists lately. In honor of this beautiful book, I'm going to draw my own parallels from the beautifully crafted stories of Shauna Niequist. 

City Street

I have a rapid-fire city walk. I pride myself on it sometimes, my petite frame giving me the option to quickly swerve in and out of crowds of people sometimes as gracefully as a ballerina on a stage. And I say sometimes loosely. City streets can have craters as big as the moon and, if you're not looking, can cause serious damage. Yet I enjoy my fast pace. My stubby legs have a long stride compared to my size. It gives me a sense of purpose and productivity. As if I'm not wasting a moment getting to my precious destination. Then I remembered a quote I heard a few years back. A quote about enjoying the journey of life and disconnecting from the importance of the end point. I have my busy moments, and my moments of being wonder-struck by Gods creativity and sheer magnificence. I know that my schedule is chaotic compared to the average young woman my age, but you see, I'm not average. I enjoy being busy. I find it restful, God has the ability to fire me up when there's a lot going on in my life. But when I'm busy calculating my week down to the minute, there's a problem. Not only with my inflexibility, but with my desire to rush through my day putting as many check marks on my list as possible. Almost like a race, except it's always the underdog human versus time. Talk about adrenaline rush. But am I rushing too quickly? Do I stop often enough to enjoy the small pleasures God built into life? Not just for an Instagram picture or a self-gratifying tweet, but for an honest, sincere appreciation for this breathtaking Creator who holds our hearts above this world. That's where my heart needs to be. The next time I walk through the city, on my way to work or to the beach, I think I'm gonna walk a little slower. Slower than the average person. Slow not to prove a point, slow to take in and experience this beautiful, urban wonderland and God, the ultimate architect. 

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Psalm 46:10