Plunking a Goose

The other day I was out running some errands on a time crunch. I caused myself some anxiety from my very long "to-do" list that I created by my obsessive desire to check every item off my list before heading into work. I was driving myself crazy. Do you ever do that? Do you ever cram so much onto your list that it becomes unreasonable?

As I was running errands, zipping in and out of the stores and trying to answer my never ending cell phone calls, I was getting overwhelmed. Usually when I am running errands, I will park in the furthest spot from the door to grab a few extra steps for my waistline, but on this particular day, I was in a rush. I wanted the closest parking spot to every store.

I went to pull into the only close spot to the Target store when a woman zipped right into it before me. I was angry. I was looking down at my watch thinking I have only 20 minutes to get in and out of the store. Has she just stolen my spot? Who does she think she is? I am ashamed to admit that there were much worse thoughts going through my head. Ugh.

I zoomed across the parking lot like Cruella Devill from 101 Dalmatians, took the only available spot which was way at the far end of the lot. As I pulled in, I shoved my door open with a huff, when something special caught my attention. There in the city Target parking lot was a Canada Goose sitting on a nest. Again, this was in the middle of a busy shopping center parking lot. There were no trees, no bushes, just a pile of dried up brown mulch. Of all places, that's where she chose to settle herself.

I just stood there, took a few pictures with my cell phone and totally forgot about my "to-do" list and took in the stillness of that moment. I leaned up against my car; I let my head slump down and took a few deep breaths. I was so caught up in my agenda that I didn't see the hidden agenda in my day until that moment. The goose showed me that I needed to slow down and chill and take in the beauty around me. There was nothing on my list that had to be done by a certain time.

I turned my focus on what I was doing right in that moment; enjoying the presence of a goose in my day. Dear God, you gave me reason to smile and be excited about my day. Now when craziness surrounds me and yet the goose is gone, I will remember how you, in the shadow of my day, became my awareness of the blessings around me.

What does it take to slow your day down? On this particular day, I was given the gift of a goose. It slowed me down...a miracle in the making. Now that I had fixed my eyes on HIM, we shared words, beginnings, hopes and songs. These will all be built from the weaving a goose into my day. Thank you.

Lord, you supply so much beauty around us. You give us so much and we are such busy people that give you so little in return. All you ask is for us to follow You. God's final words to me that morning were, "Beth, don't miss the miracles around you. Don't be so involved with your to-do list and trying to be a success that you forget that you are dearly loved by Me and I created you in a unique and wonderful way. Thank you, Jesus.