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Getting By with a Little Help



It's that time again... you guessed it... time for a FIVE! This week has been particularly stressful. I find it funny that in the midst of our chaos, little treasures are buried there to get us through. In lieu of that epiphany... you are getting a fresh Five this week. Straight from my musings. I hope you're finding ways to see the beauty in your storm, and that you are evaluating what kind of legacy you are prioritizing.

1. Glorious sunshine. I know... it's Texas and it's hotter than a two dollar pistol... insert obligatory thanksgiving to the inventor of the air conditioner here... but it IS glorious. When you first walk outside after being cooped up in an office or your house (or your house office) all day, and you step into the sunshine and your muscles just immediately melt. It's like your body was dying inside and you just revived it. In Texas, you are also met with a wall of suffocating humidity, but it's worth battling through for that little warming of your soul.
2. Wisdom in its many forms. I got to spend some time with the girls in our church youth group during their lock-in Wednesday night. Admittedly, staying up until midnight on a week night almost killed me... but I prevailed a victor! There was a Q&A time and the wisdom that was in the room slayed me. These girls are living lives... LIVES. I sat there answering when I could and listening when I couldn't, astounded. Every person, young and old is traveling a path different than yours and has something to teach you.
3. Oatmeal Raisin Cliff Bars... they are life. If you haven't... you should. Right MEOW. I mean... organic oats and walnuts... forget about it.
4. Baseball. Can we just give a little glory hallelujah for this sport?! There is something uniquely cultural about the game. The green grass, the patience, the batter-pitcher stare down... it's outstanding. I get to be an Astros' fan, (and yes... long before the World Series win and subsequent bandwagoning) a FAN... a 2011 fan... all 56 wins and 106 losses worth of fandom, and this team has something. There's a jovial quality to the game they play. The hugs, the way they take in new guys to their family, and especially on those nights when we get to see them play a little small ball and are transported to a cul-de-sac in a neighborhood in small town USA.
5. Checkout lines. The other day, I was waiting in a checkout. It was a big box store... so naturally there were 57 total registers and only 2 were open. I had the finest chat with an elderly lady and her grandson. It was perfection. We must've been there ten minutes together and that line was no different than tea on the porch. Get out there and turn your impatience into an experience. Make someone laugh. The more you worry about someone else's comfort, the less you worry about your inconvenience.

All the hearts. SP

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