Lunch with an old friend, plus a little Spring

Backyard pomegranate flowers

The last few years I've spent in a bit of a Walter Mitty haze. With the death of my older brother and the rise of divisiveness and hatred in our country, I've been looking for a place to hide from a lot of realities I don't want to face. But hiding hasn't made any of them go away. I can't hide from stress, but I've been doing my darnedest to try to hide away and take some time to heal.

So I've worked hard to keep the laundry and dishes caught up while dreaming of cleaning the garage and riding bicycle street trials. What I've learned is pretty small. It's hard to save the world when you can't keep up with the laundry.

This blog has suffered too. What was a labor of love has become a harbor for indecision, a belief that my beliefs aren't worth writing. The number of unfinished drafts has piled up while the blog sits dormant.

But most days I see inspiration: eco-friendly advancements, better ways of doing things, ways to live lighter and friendlier. I start writing about them, but the words fizzle out. The drafts pile up.

This week I had lunch with an old friend. While getting caught up, I recognized in her a lot of the same things I've been wrestling. She is a Christian who struggles with the actions and ideas of other Christians who seem hell-bent on protecting themselves at the cost of all who are different or inconvenient. She's also asking big questions: What's next? Can I be doing something more worthwhile? Can I take a week-long break and wake up with some enlightenment? 

And I have to say, knowing she's in that same place is both sad and very comforting.

Okay, I'll wrap this one up - I need to go home and start some laundry, but I have to say, life is looking better. Maybe it's the spring season and all the blooming flowers and fascinating birds and bugs. Maybe it's the weather more conducive to riding and walking and spending time outside. Maybe it's the knowledge that I am surrounded by good people fighting the same fight and struggling with the same burdens.

May God bless and keep you, may you know a little peace, and may you be comforted and be a comfort.