Time.

I can't concentrate on anything currently except the following things that are running through my mind so if I have any hopes of being even the slightest bit productive today I'd better get writing:

Lately I've really been thinking about how amazing life, just the mere essence of being alive, really is.
Life isn't always easy, in fact, it rarely is easy. But from my experience, and maybe I'm just young and naive, it is always worth it.

I'm learning to "take chances, make mistakes, and get messy", I'd like to think Miss Frizzle would be proud. I've never been someone who could easily be found taking risks. Risks scare the hell out of me and I don't like them. I thrive on knowing all possible outcomes, I like knowing point C, I'll figure out points A and B as we go, but I need to know what's going to happen in the end.

However, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this or not, but apparently that's not how life actually works. The unknown exists, camouflaged by of anticipation of the future and what we think we want to happen. The unknown is scary. really scary.

As a Christian, I often find myself allowing this fear to overcast the promise that my life is already planned out and is part of this super cool master plan. Each one of my steps is numbered and ordered. What do I have to worry about?
All God parts aside, the tricky part that I forget about all the time is how easily and quickly the future becomes the present and then becomes the past way too quickly...and if we're so wrapped up in the next day, the next event, when our next day off is, we're going to miss it. We're going to miss growing up, and growing old. We're going to miss the beauty of a sunrise when we're on our way to work because we're already too wrapped up in what's happening in the meeting after lunch. We're going to miss the beauty of the simple things like our first sip of a really good cup of tea. We're going to miss the kids around us turning into real human beings, developing opinions, thoughts, likes and dislikes of their own.
The time is going to pass whether we're ready for it or not. What are we doing to intentionally make the most of it?

I always seem to find myself planning, filling the hours of my day with countless tasks, meetings, shifts, and events. Looking at what is coming up, making sure I'm ready for it, instead of embracing, enduring, absorbing, and learning from what's going on then and there. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to throw preparation to the wind and fly by the seat of your pants hoping you'll make the cut with your obligations.

I think all I'm trying to say is to take a deep breath, look around and take it all in.

Our lives are busy, crazy, chaotic, and full. But they're breathtaking, beautiful, and miraculous.

If I could challenge you with anything today and for days to come, it would be to look for the good in every day, learn from the bad, and breathe. Sometimes the mere thought of breathing, it's just so cool to me that we are even capable of doing that, without thinking, without trying, we just do it.