Overthinking

Sometimes the possibility of a change is introduced and I feel wary - like it would all be too much hard work, I'm not sure it's the best idea, and I can't really imagine myself in that particular situation. Other times, the possibility of a change is introduced and I feel completely at peace with it. I can imagine myself in the situation, I can see how it would be beneficial to me or our family in some way, and even without knowing the details I can see myself content in the situation.

So, then I wonder why. Is the harder, less appealing change really the one God wants for me? I mean, isn't that the way God works? He doesn't promise we'll be comfortable, and doing hard things is how we grow and learn, right? Or, is feeling peace about a change confirmation that it's the right path? Maybe God is blessing me with confidence to do this thing.

Then I think, "I am way overthinking this." In the big picture of the cosmos, these changes in my life are really tiny. I trust God can work and use me in whatever circumstance I find myself. And, as I alluded to yesterday with the "prescription for contentment", I'm working this summer on learning contentment. From experience, I know even in the situations or changes that seem from the start to be relatively painless, life keeps happening and trials come no matter what. So, even if I choose something that seems "easy", chances are it won't end up being as easy as I imagine. And then I'll have a chance to practice contentment.

I'm still overanalyzing things at this point, so I kind of give up and figure maybe I should just roll with the punches. And go eat some lunch.

More immediately, maybe I need to just go make some Avocado Egg Salad. I've been wracking my brain trying to think of foods I could make when the temperatures make cooking undesirable. This egg salad seems like just the thing...except for boiling the eggs...but the ends might justify the means.

Plus, I have some tomatoes from the garden that need to be used up, and while caprese salad is fabulous, you can have too much of a good thing.

Please feel free to share one of your favorite summertime meals; I'm running out of ideas!

Prescription for Contentment

A grown daughter wondered how her mom, a missionary living in the African bush for 52 years with no electricity or other modern conveniences, had led a life of contentment in circumstances that would give anyone cause to complain. She found the answer in an old diary of her mother's. Her mother, Ella Spees, had written down this "prescription for contentment":

~ Never allow yourself to complain about anything - not even the weather.

~ Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.

~ Never compare your lot with another's.

~ Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.

~ Never dwell on tomorrow - remember that is God's, not ours.

(from Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow, p. 13)

Photos and Free Chicken

OK. I can't really deliver on the photos. Since I'm only updating this blog ever month or so, I figured I could stick with the gardening theme and show you the progress my watermelons have made over the past three weeks.

But our camera is broken. You see, John took a four-day trip to Hong Kong a couple weeks ago.

Yes, you read that right: a four-day trip to Hong Kong equals two days on an airplane and two days on the ground in Hong Kong. Even so, my husband who can apparently live on just hours of sleep a day, not only spent multiple hours in meetings, but attended work dinners, a club in Hong Kong where the band delivered pretty great renditions of Kenny (Rogers) and Dolly (Parton) songs, and somehow squeezed in Day One of sightseeing from the Frommer's Hong Kong travel guide. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

Unfortunately, the camera got crammed in an already full-to-the-brim piece of checked luggage and came home with a broken lens and screen.

Fortunately, and this will surprise no one, John got his credit card (I know, right? A credit card?) to cover the cost of at least fixing the camera, though we'll probably just use the money toward buying a new one. We haven't actually received the money yet, so we are still sans camera at this point.

And that's the long story about why I can't show you pictures of the much-improved watermelons.

And if you want to the story to be even longer, which you most likely don't, but I'm going to tell you anyway, we have already received payment from the credit card company for the MP3 player John left on the airplane, an event that was completely his fault. The settlement was more than we paid for the original MP3 player and more than we bought a new one for on ebay. Again, probably not a surprise to anyone.

In reality, I could take the time to figure out how to download pictures from my sub par phone onto the computer, but I'm not going to.

Even though I can't deliver on my originally intended purpose for this post, my sister-in-law has given me some information that might make someone's day. Friday is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A. You can score some free Chick-fil-A food if you dress (fully, or even partially) like a cow. They've made it easy by providing a cow costume kit you can print out at home.

I hope you enjoy some Chick-fil-A on Friday!