A Mango For Your Thoughts

I learned a valuable lesson while at the grocery store the other day. It came to me by way of a mango mistake in the produce section. Upon noticing a sale on mangos and the onset of the flu I had to get multiple mangos for the vitamin C. In my hurried hysteria I grabbed the juiciest of tropical green goodness and delicately placed them all into one produce baggie. As I twisted it closed to place into my cart the entire bag ripped and the mangos, five of them, all broke loose from the bag quicker and louder than students busting loose from school for the summer. They crashed into my cart, clattering about as they knocked over cans of soup and the rest of my flu survival kit items.

In a graceful, and refined way, I glided across the shiny linoleum floor of the produce section away from the loud racket much like that of orchestrated choreography seen in an episode of Dancing with the Stars. As my ballroom routine came to a close I looked around to see if anyone had seen what I had done and just as I came to, I noticed a woman pushing her cart down the aisle that dead ended into where I was.

"Nice one," she called out as she applauded my blunder. "We've all done that before."

"Agreed. We've all done it," chimed in another lady from the other side of the fruit aisle. "But nicely done to come back from it."

Through the next three days of laying on the couch that scene kept playing out and got me thinking:

How often do we try to pile in too much into our day, our week, into our life and yes into our plastic produce bags, only too just have everything come undone and end up crashing down on us? Whether it's pushing ourselves too hard and we become ill or we hold in so much stress and anxiety only to just freak out. We all have fallen victim to such an unfortunate break.

We forget to just take things three seconds at a time. We tone out advice from scholars that remind us to "simplify, simplify, simplify." We ignore that "the ill-tempered stir up strife, but the patient settle disputes (Proverbs 15:18)" or that we are called to "rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer (Romans 12:12)."

For me, it took mangos gracefully interrupting a couple shopper's midday grocery experience with a produce dance party and three days of laying on the couch to think about it. Next time I'll know not to shove too much into such cheap plastic, but also the next time that I'm filled with a quirky concoction of emotions - at work, when life throws down the hammer or if I'm struggling with five large mangos - I can be that sea of calm in a storm of chaos. Unfortunately it took unplanned mango madness and a bit of humility for me to learn this lesson.

An Angel on a Park Bench

We all have had moments when we had an angel appear in our lives. Maybe during one of those whoa moments where you knew you had an angel on your side. Like the moment you swerve to avoid hitting something in the road, a split second decision you made where you were amazed you could even think to do that. One of those moments where you could say you had your guardian angel with you.

I've felt bored these past couple of weeks. Bored with the thought of what is and wanting what could be. Bored thinking about the adventures - work, spiritual and fun - I want to be out doing, while tired of planning the ones I will set out for this year, just not during these winter months. I've felt smothered, and weighed down, by the confines of an office. Scared by the reality of not being able to explore as much as I should. Explore the world, explore the depths of my desires, explore my life and its purpose.

It was my goal this weekend to spend my entire Saturday hiking. It was to become my day to turn off my phone as quick as I could turn off my brain from anything that wasn't related to the trail and the world around it. I had longed for a day where it was me alone on the trail, engulfed in God's pure joy and the simple beauties that is nature. My mind raced with thoughts of future trips. I day dreamed, like a five year old, about how cool it would be to star in a survival/ adventure documentary that would be a mix of 180 Degrees South and a show on NatGeo, with a soundtrack reminiscent of the "I'd Rather Be Hiking" mix from my iPod.

As I was hiking along a portion of the trail I had come across a fellow hiker - which will be another post soon - and we shared a refreshing conversation about simplifying our lives and exploring more of what life has to offer, as we hiked along together. As I listened to her speak so passionately about wanting to set off on more adventures and her desire to enjoy exploring life in general, I caught my mind wandering off on things in my own life. Mainly the sense of boredom, but mile after mile I became deep in debate in my head about where it is God wants me to be and where I want to be. I thought about the lessons I'm supposed to be learning from it and Him, and if I'm even heading in the right direction...and then it hit me. I found my angel.

There it was, a snowman angel sitting on a bench out in the middle of the trail. On the particular path I was following sat passionately an angel to greet me along my journey. It was a simple reminder that regardless of where we think we are or how we feel we are doing there is always an angel there to walk with us along the way. The simple gesture to help us remember that God is there with us every step of the way. Whether we get it right or not, whether we are close friends or a voice from far off in the distance. He is everywhere. Walking along the trail with us as we follow the path before us. Sometimes we need to be reminded that and for me it came in a life size snowman angel waiting for me along the trail.


Until next time...

I Know I'm Not A Manly Man, Which Makes Me More of a Man Than You

The word man is defined as: One possessing in high degree the qualities considered distinctive of manhood(2)obsolete: the quality or state of being manly: manliness.

Many people have their own definition of what this word means and what it entails "to be a man." Others believe that they are the definition of what it means to be dubbed: a manly man. We envision that burly stead to have the swagger of Frank Sinatra, the charm of every Disney prince, the sense of adventure of Hemingway, Jesus' abs and discipline, the stories of the Dos Equis guy and the beard of Zeus or that of Allan from The Hangover. That's a lot for us men to aspire to, especially in an era that is calling for true manliness.

Last week at work I made a sad attempt of being a "man" by attempting (strong emphasis on attempt) to put together a bookshelf in my boss' office while she was out on vacation. The gigantic feat of masculine proportions was time consuming, horribly confusing and clearly suited for someone of much more exuberant manliness than what I brought to the tool box. It was an epic fail on my part and I fell victim to the manliness roadblock of an Office Max shelving unit.

As I reflected on the sad attempt of manliness I realized that I had been humbled to the tenth degree by such an easy task. I loathed the bastard bookshelf for hours as it stared at me every time I passed by her office door. It sat, scattered in her office, boasting its conquest over me as I'd pace by during the afternoon. It celebrated its victory over me each time an office member would walk by her office to see it sitting on the floor in pieces and come into my office asking how I was progressing with the project after I had raised the white flag in defeat.

It was then that I realized that one skill that trumps any attribute of what we claim creates "manliness," is humility. The ability to accept defeat, but press on. That moment where you can say I messed up or I am not able to do this. It is in humility that we are better equipped to forgive, to lead others and to move on from the hardships that arise, like failing at putting together a simple bookshelf. That was when I realized that I know I'm not a manly man, which makes me more of a man than you...But I'm still working on the humble part though, but aren't we all. I think another thing I'll work on in this New Year is my humility, because in the wise words of a dear friend, "I am the humblest person I know."


Until next time...