All around us there are things to see. Yet so often we are in a hurry to experience the world around us. Sharing some views I love in nature and the world.
Whether it is in the backroads of the US or around the world or in your backyard, stop and look.
Lavendar Fields in France
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. That’s what my wife has been reflecting on often these past weeks, and it is something seems to apply to so many things in life.
Here in America, perhaps it goes along with being a country full of “consumers”. Mass consumption can get so extreme that creates the notion that getting more of everything that others have, getting the super-sized item or getting the most valuable item means contentment. It’s like the thought is: “after all, if we earned it we should deserve it”. Some see it as being able to do whatever you want and some others doing it in spite of what others want; often without considering any consequences. I have heard it said “If it is not illegal or immoral, just go ahead if you can afford it. “
Sadly it seems there are so many messages in the course of a day that just keep working on influencing our sensibilities. Upgrade your car, your home, your life… or make sure you are always happy. Don’t get left behind and be certain you have the newest! Whatever the message it feels like it is aimed at you to be sure you can measure your value in life somehow. Whether it’s on the media or from the people around you, it can appeal to your peace-of-mind, or the need to be recognized by others.
Sometimes it isn’t as serious as much as it is perhaps ironic. Out shopping at a local large discount store on the weekends, I see people who are wearing clothes that don’t flatter them, really don’t fit them or worse yet make them look like they are wearing someone else’s clothes. Seriously, just because they make those short-shorts in that green glowing color in their size does not mean they should be wearing them! Funny really- not that everyone shouldn’t have a positive body image, but there are times when it is worthy of a chuckle.
In other cases it is so much more subtle. Some divorced friends of mine in the past wrestled for legal custody of their children. It was obvious who would come out on the side of custody, but just because it could be done, didn’t mean it should. The children get the wrong end of the settlement, and the awarded parent just “could” and therefore did.
While yet so many other couples we know, just keep working themselves to death to help pay off their debit because they have bought so much on credit. Just because they could, they did- they bought things and went places- on credit. It made them happy temporarily and then over time, it pushed them into the brink of disaster in their personal lives and their relationship because they realized the things around them did nothing to validate who they really were wanting to be.
It can work that way in life I think. Just because you can own it, doesn’t mean you should. Just because you can take it, doesn’t mean you should. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you always should. Consuming all you can devour for the sake of doing it… is more than simply self-centered road…it also affects others around you in so many ways.
There are so many better doors to go through, so many more roads to take. So many more reasons to take them… and most of those you can take just because they are there- if you choose to take them…because you can.
I was walking through our wooded park in the neighborhood when I walked 
by road with a sign that said “Speed Bump”. It occurred to me that we all come up against speed-bumps in our lives. It doesn’t mean to stop or back up (I could just imagine all of the cars along the road stopped behind the speed-bump with nowhere to go). It means to slow down, take it easy over the bump, and keep your course ahead but be aware there is something in the road that is going to slow you down. It’s put there for a reason to keep us from going to fast.
It seems like we all have some speed bumps in our lives. Some of them come up really quickly and we don’t entirely notice the signs. We run into them full speed and it just shakes us very hard. We have to slow down for a bit, compose ourselves and make sure everything is okay. Other times we see the sign, we prepare for the speed bump a head – slow down and watch for it and slowly drive over it.
There are going to be bumps in the road, some we see and some we cannot see or others we choose to not see. We have to look for the signs ahead, be thankful that someone put them there to warn us. Some other times so many people have ridden that same road that there are pot-holes that have come with so much traffic, perhaos they are damaged roads and we don’t see them- or we follow others as they speed there way into them.
Either way, once you realize that you should expect some pot-holes, some speed bumps, some things that will slow you down; you can keep your eyes wide open. It makes you aware that everything you do (even the little things) can make a difference. Slow down as you look. You can slow down, and recognize the opportunity to move foward (over the bump) and that once yoy get over it you can move on.
Tracks In The Dust 