FOOTBALL PADS AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
One year I wanted a set of football pads. In my child’s view of the world, I planned to be a baseball player in the summer and play football in the fall. To my delight, that Christmas I received my pads. I’ve long since lost them, but at one time they served me well.
I can also remember that as far back as my memory goes, I wanted to have children of my own. That didn’t come at Christmas, but eventually I fathered two daughters. I’m happy to say that unlike the football pads, they’re still around!
There is a lag between the time we desire something and the time we get it. Sometimes it’s a short lag. Sometimes the wait is longer. That’s a good thing. It allows us time to mull it over carefully. We can decide if it is what we truly value or whether it’s just a passing whimsy.
It seems that the longer we have to wait, the more valuable the treasure when we receive it. For example, the football pads held little intrinsic value in my life, so they came and went quickly. On the other hand, my daughters are gifts beyond even my fertile imagination. They took a while to receive, but they’re still available for me to cherish.
I don’t claim to understand how the mechanism works, but I do know the things I desire have a way of presenting themselves to me. Patience is a virtue which comes into play big time in this process.
Patience had not been a friend in my earlier years, but now I believe I have a pretty good handle on it — usually. Some people seem to have been born with it. But for the rest of us, it’s one of those things we acquire after living through many disappointments. It’s like John Michael Montgomery sang, “Life’s a dance you learn as you go.”
Regardless of our intimacy with patience, that mechanism of being presented with what we desire still chugs along. Now, that doesn’t mean all we have to do is wish and it will magically appear. Oh no. We have to plug away, find opportunities, and set into motion the groundwork to get the whole ball rolling.
That’s where the lag time between first desiring it and getting it is important. It’s possible that by the time we’re ready to receive this gift, we no longer want it. Well, that’s cool. People change their perspectives.
However, sometimes we haven’t received it beyond the time when we feel it’s reasonable. By then we become jaded, disillusioned, and cynical. Then, when it does finally show up, we cast it aside in our bitterness. We dismiss it, even though it’s something we still dearly want. How sad. Kind of like that saying, “He cut off his nose to spite his face.”
How often have you been guilty of this? I know I’ve done this more times than I care to admit.
We must be careful about what we wish for, but we have to be just as careful about what we choose to send away. If it took this long to finally get here, it may take even longer to get back once we overcome our bitterness.
If you're enjoying this over coffee, tea, or whatever, please consider buying me a cup!TUBING
On the weekend I camped with my kids, we decided to try tubing on the Dan River. We panned for gold most of Saturday. I knew if I spent another day bent over a stupid pie tin, sifting through river muck, I’d lose my mind.
It rained on and off the entire weekend. So instead of a cheerful, meandering river we encountered a torrent of water with whitecaps. I had my reservations, but the kids were dead set on going.
The meeting point for our tubing adventure was at an old mill. It was just us and an older couple from Germany who showed up for the bus — a faded pink van from the 60’s. It took us to the tubing put-in.
I wore a one-piece bathing suit and flip-flops. My kids were similarly attired. The Germans were dressed in matching neoprene wetsuits, complete with masks and fins. I guess they expected a diving expedition with whales.
The bus ride was an expedition in itself. We careened around hair-pin turns. We sped down the sides of mountains, the brakes smoking. My kids and the Germans thought this was great fun. They whooped and hollered like they were on a roller-coaster ride.
Finally reaching the put-in, we disembarked from the bus. We put on life jackets, grabbed tubes and jumped into the water. Our bus driver tied our tubes together so we wouldn’t get separated. He pushed us off and we were on our way.
Our flotilla moved rapidly downstream. I was a bit alarmed, but my kids thought this was part of the adventure, especially when their tubes bounced off rocks. I was not amused. I sat lower in the water than they did — my butt banged into every underwater rock. It made me wish I’d sprung for the upgraded tube with room for a six-pack.
We drifted along for quite some time. The Germans weren’t much for conversation. They were really into taking pictures, though. And nothing seemed to be too mundane a subject. In between shots, they pointed and chattered excitedly — about what I had absolutely no idea.
I figured it out though, noticing the horizon dipping and the unmistakable sound of a waterfall.
“Wow! A waterfall. Yippee!” The kids were ecstatic. I wished I’d paid more attention to the waiver I signed. The Germans lowered their face masks. I braced myself, grabbing the tube handles.
“Hold on!” I yelled at the kids. They ignored me, splashing each other merrily until they noticed the tubes picking up speed and the water turning from green to brooding black. I thought we were going to die and I’d never get to try Hootin Annie’s Brunswick stew.
The kids had their arms thrust overhead, their eyes glowing with excitement. The Germans had their eyes squeezed shut as I watched them disappear over the lip of the falls. I think I screamed, but I can’t be sure as the water drowned me out.
Next thing I know, I’d landed. My tube went underwater briefly and then resurfaced. I managed to stay in it. But our tubes had come untied. I saw the kids drifting just a short distance away. The Germans sheltered them protectively, patting their backs as they coughed up water. We apparently arrived at the tubing take-out point. I spotted the bus on shore. Our driver was asleep.
Catching her breath, my youngest shouted, “That was fun, Mommy! Can we do it again?”
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