Although I consider myself something of a loner, I am never alone. In fact, yesterday afternoon was the first time I've been alone in this house, and we've lived here for seven months. Here's what I noticed about being alone.
1. Sesame Street did its job: The PBS show has raised questions among educators over what effect bites of colorful, animated information has on the attention span of children. I've spent so many years keeping my ears open to the cries and observations of little ones that I seem to have lost my ability to concentrate on any one task for more than twenty minutes at a time. I spent the afternoon bouncing from one little job to another and never finished anything.
2. Our house has a voice: I haven't had a real chance to listen to the house. It pops and crackles and creaks just like a good home should. I just usually can't hear it over all the other activity.
3. My suspicions were correct: "Not Me" does a lot of damage around here. "Not Me" leaves dirty dishes in the sink, drops cheerios under the table, and leaves popsicle sticks in the grass. "Not Me" apparently left with the kids since that little rascal didn't do any of those things yesterday.
4. I might not be a loner any more: Of all the things I noticed yesterday, one of the most striking was how sleepy I was in the silence. Being surrounded by noise and activity keeps me on my toes. Could it be that I do my best concentrating when surrounded by chaos? Surely not.
I miss my kids. A break is fun, but 24 hours is about enough.
3 comments:
Hey Patty -- I'm back. :)
We had this conversation at our small group the other day -- that Jesus was the perfect combination of all personality types, and he enjoyed people and enjoyed time alone (with God) equally. I think you're just maturing, becoming more like Jesus -- you realize the good balance of your life. You need time alone (with God) and you need time with people, especially your family.
I think I know where "Not Me" and his little girlfriends went. Wa enjoyed out travels with the girls, especially our brief tour through Toppenish, WA, the city of dozens of murals. They are everywhere and depict the early cowboy, Indian, and histories of the little town. Thank you for trusting us to transport such treasures.
Hey Slacks! I've been wondering where you went, started looking this afternoon, et voila!! It's so good t see you guys and see what you're doing. It sounds like you've managed to integrate into this foreign country and find your places of service. We have too, although we sometimes long for the SLOW pace of Togo.
Here's my email address: togofolk@sbcglobal.net. Drop us a line so we can fill you in. (We haven't been blogasized yet."
Mike & Beth Wilson
No, you WOULDN'T recognize Brian!
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