Not What It's Cracked Up to Be

Sometimes, your eyes see that which they cannot avoid.

That sounds profound and spiritual, and I suppose it is...or at least can be. We see our flaws, our failings. Our dreams and the achieving of them. Our friends. Our foes. And, every now and then, we see what we weren't looking for...revelation isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

I took the kids to Chick-Fil-A today to cash in their library freebies from the reading program.
Last summer.
(Thank you, Chick, for honoring expired coupons. Again and again).

The boys were playing while Grace and I were chatting at our table when a guy standing not two feet from me (I exaggerate not) stood up.

Lifted his shirt.
Exposed his drooping jeans and underwear.

And all that they are supposed to cover.
Eww.

Sometimes, your eyes see that which they cannot avoid.

And maybe it's not as spiritual when it happens at Chick-Fil-A...
But it's still not what it's "cracked" up to be.

If You Forced Me

If you forced me to pick just one novel and proclaim it my favorite...well, that would surely bring me pain. But, if forced, it'd be Pride and Prejudice. Every day and twice on Sunday.

And now Grace is discovering the magic literati reverently refer to as "Austen".
My generational gift to her...may it long live and thrive...
in the mind of a reader
and in the heart of a lady.

[Caption]

With Great Honor

This was my Facebook status today.

Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win. ~Jonathan Kozel

So applicable to my life this season. As every day amounts to a battle against the
ever-draining sands in the hourglass, prioritization matters more to my sanity than ever before. Does it seem to you, as it does to me, that all the tickers of time I once reserved for "old timers" suddenly mark me? An expression like, "Where has this year gone?" and needing to do math to recall my age have become part of my everyday routine.

Or how about this: My dearest Zee recently recounted that, as she reviewed some work-related documents, she realized one gal's birth date was later than her wedding date...meaning Zee got married before the lass was even born - EGADS!!

Yes, the travels of Old Man Time hearkens this paradigm, if it does nothing else: life really does pass us by...seemingly while we're standing watching the clock waiting for the next big thing to happen. (Or as John Lennon put it, life is what happens while we're busy making other plans).

So, I count that which matters most as (surprise) actually mattering most.

And I choose those battles.
And, if I can't win it, I try to let it go.
And if, as a friend from high school posted on that status today, I must ask,
"What if one has no choice?",
I can only hope my response to him will prevail:

Then fight to the finish with great honor.