Full Stop

Got out again this morning, and pushed myself a bit further.

Feels good.

And the crab apple trees on our street are in bloom.
So pretty.

And I'm still on a sign-thing from yesterday I guess, because the way the sun was glancing off this STOP sign caught my attention.
So random, I know.

But I kind of just like the simplicity of this. The obvious benefit/danger ratio of a traffic STOP sign, and how foolish it is to ignore it. And how easily this transfers to points along the way in the everyday journey that is life.

"Stop struggling
Cease striving
Be still....
and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10

And what if I did that in the normal course of a day, a week, a month, a year, as habitually as I do when I'm driving the car?

Full stop. One thousand and one, one thousand and two, one thousand and three.

All clear?

Move forward.

Making decisions.
Finishing one project before jumping into the next.
Giving full attention to the person I'm with.
Catching myself in a fret, tempted to rush into a solution.
Pausing in a moment of gratitude.
Breathing in the sweet moments with small children.
Discerning how to respond to an insult or criticism.
Staying still in any moment of awe.

Full stop. One thousand and one...
Oh yeah.
You are God and I am not.

And as arrogant and outrageous as that last phrase sounds when I write it out loud, isn't that what I'm confused about when I screech around the corner on my way to do everything, fix everything?

Full stop. One thousand and one...
Oh yeah.

I hope we have lots of opportunities to STOP today.
Who knows?
Might help us avoid colliding with ourselves.