Get Paddling!
Have you ever had one of those mornings where your thoughts seem to be going in a thousand different ways, and to focus on the one thing that you're trying to focus on, just about feels impossible. That's where I'm at this morning. I have lots of things that I should be doing. It's freezing cold outside this morning. Not much wind and it's supposed to snow later today. The deer are probably moving this morning and I should be hunting, or I guess I should say that I would like to be hunting. Unfortunately, the “I would like to be doing” list is dictated by the “what I didn't do” list, which is often dictated by the “what I did list”. It's a little bit like paddling down the river. If you don't look down the river and run over to the side to play in a ripple or over by that rock to surf in a hole, you might miss the fun wave train just downstream. Worse yet, without knowing it, you might set yourself up for a disaster by being right above a waterfall or unrunnable rapids. And then you'll need every bit of energy that you can muster just to save yourself.
Life is pretty much like a big ole river. As I'm looking down the river, there are so many things that need to be done to line us up for that next section. We've just gotten through a really sweet section. We had a good Christmas and then Jenelle and the kids and I did somewhat of a road trip for New Years. We went to Iowa to be with Jenelle's family and then dropped down to Pass Christian, Mississippi for a few days of family time and then back home. It was a really good trip and we got back in time to enjoy all the snow and rain and fluctuating temps that we have going on. But it feels like all that I've been doing since we've gotten back is working and blowing snow. To add to that, the electricity was off for better than a day. Really it's not a big deal. It just seems like it takes all of our time and a lot more effort just to cook and to do everything else that we use electricity for. Yesterday morning there was more nasty snow, cold and wind. But by the time we got home from church, it had stopped. Jenelle and I were able to go x-country skiing for a bit. It was great to be out. Even though it was cold and windy, the trail we were on was protected by the trees and so we were pretty much out of the wind. The snow was sparkling white and clean and mostly undisturbed except for the occasional squirrel track that told the story of their morning scamper, digging holes and looking for acorns that they buried last fall. And, of course, that got me thinking that this morning would be a great morning to take my bow for a walk.
Hunting for me is like a big ole play hole that you can paddle up, drop in and then squirt out the bottom and just do it over and over again in the same hole. If you're not careful, you'll end up being there longer than you intended and it will take a lot of hard paddling to get off of the river by dark. I think I've been playing a little too long in the hunting hole. I need to move on. I’ll bounce through a few more of those holes as we're setting up for spring. But for today at least, I need to drop out of this hole and start looking downstream.
I don't want to miss that wave train. I better get paddling!
