sidestepping

The sign pictured above has stuck with me for hours now, after my long walk this morning. It doesn't warn of a fork or a dead end, just that the path curves a little. Its presence implies, "this road may require a bit of sidestepping, but please, by all means, continue on your way."

My life has been full of sidestepping moments lately. Not moments where I've had to make some sort of life-altering choice, or moments when I've had to stop dead in my tracks and turn back, reevaluating to see what I've done wrong. No, instead they have been moments where I've been able to adjust my course just slightly and still stay in motion.

Take this morning, for instance. Chris doesn't have his early class on Thursdays, leaving us time to sleep a little longer, have a leisurely breakfast, and prepare a little more thoroughly for the day in general. When I dropped him off on campus, the weekly farmers' market was not yet in full swing, so I "sidestepped." I went to the park, and spent a blissful hour exploring the winding paths and autumn-bright trees.

When my hour of free parking reached its end, I drove back to campus to find parking for the farmers' market. None of the usual free spots were available, and instead of getting frustrated about it, I "sidestepped" and found metered parking a short walk away. My dollar got me an hour of parking instead of the 20 minutes the free spots allowed, so instead of rushing through the farmers' market so I could leave again, I paid for my eggplant and made my way to my husband's office to say hello. I'm so glad and grateful that I was willing to slightly change my methods in order to still reach my original goal.

After all, I'd pay a dollar for a kiss from my husband any day!

It's just a small example, but a telling one, I think. As we are open to joy, instead of only thinking of getting things done, the love of God seeps into our lives in ways we couldn't have pictured.