OK, so I promised you an explanation of the sock drawer, but it will just have to wait temporarily. I wanted instead to comment on a much-needed dose of normalcy I had today.
My friend/cousin-in-law and I got together today. Our friendship has really been forged as we've walked and talked with each other through some significant challenges over this last year.
But today, all the challenges (and our propensity to analyze them) were set aside for what I would consider an interlude of glorious normalcy. We chatted and managed our teens and tweens kids. I showed her my latest batch of homemade cards. She showed me how to cook a really delicious dish for lunch. I shared with her a book of gorgeous mountaineering photos I'd been enjoying. She filled me in on her book club's long-awaited Chinese dinner. We compared notes on nail polish, where our newly teenage boys might be employed next summer, and much more.
Ahhhhhh.
Like it says on my profile, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool introvert...a thinker and philosophizer who is most naturally revived in complete silence. And yet the Lord has brought people into my life, each with their own special niche, who draw me into the richness and joyousness of sharing together. Today made me realize how blessed I am to have been drawn into this world, and to realize that I also have something to contribute.
We really aren't meant to be islands. We need the normalcy of interacting with others over everyday things as well as philosophy and analyses. I feel today as if I've drawn in a very deep breath of pristine air.
If life is pressing in on you, I encourage you to find some moments of glorious, joyful normalcy too. Stop mulling over the difficulties for a few minutes or hours - do something, however small, that helps you "breathe". And the next time you see me drawn or weary, please return this advice. :)
