Tag Archives: daily moments

Jan 29

Take Your Eyes Off the Problem

Challenger Anniversary

This past week was the 37th anniversary of the Challenger explosion.  I was a child when the explosion happened, but I still remember it well.  The photo I’ve shared was taken at the Air Zoo Museum down near Portage MI.  My parents, Ben and I all went on a trip there a few years ago, and I found myself drawn to their exhibit.  As a young child, astronaut had been near the top of my career choices.  I admired Christa McAuliffe because she was a teacher and an astronaut, two of my top career choices.  I remember feeling great sadness the day she died, even though I’d never actually met her. 

Time is such a funny thing.  In some ways, it still feels like the Challenger explosion happened yesterday, and in other ways, it feels like it happened a lifetime ago.  So many big events in life seem to be that way. 

Exercise and a Little Sunshine

With winter in full swing, it’s been difficult to get outside to exercise in the way I like to.  I’ve been finding our basset hound puppy is great exercise, especially because she loves to play tug-of-war and will play with me as I walk.  We have so much fun, and it’s been a great way to get energy out for both of us, me walking the house with her pulling on a toy as I walk.  It’s also a really great way to strengthen my muscles.  She weighs over 50 lbs and is a very strong dog.

It’s been nice to see a little sunshine too.  The clouds have been hanging on, with very little sun this winter.  We’ve had a few days where the sun peeked out for a short time.  It’s bitter cold outside, but beautiful at the same time. 

Take Your Eyes Off The Problem

This week, one of our dogs got the tie-out she was on wrapped around a tree.  Our yard is not fenced in, so we either walk the dogs on a leash or let them out on a tie-out if they want out.  Our basset hound puppy is learning how not to get tangeled around trees outside, but this week, she found herself wrapped around one with the tie-out.

Around and around she went, trying to make the problem better, but it just made it worse.  I tried to help her, but she still kept going the wrong way as she tried to solve the problem herself.  Finally, I went inside and brought out a treat.  It took her eyes off the problem for a moment.  Carefully, I led her round and round the tree, keeping her eyes on the treat as we slowly got her untangled.  Once she was free, she ran excitedly back to the house. 

After I thought about this situation later, I realized the problem was solved when she took her eyes off it.  It reminded me of our own lives.  Too often, I focus on a problem.  I want to get unstuck from something, so I go round and round until I find myself tangled up even worse than I was to begin with.  It’s only when I take my eyes off my problems and focus on where God is leading me that I can get unstuck. 

People have often told me they don’t understand how I’ve handled things as well as I have with everything going on.  It’s not that I don’t have bad days, I do.  It’s that I keep coming back to the One who can truly handle my problems, the One who has the solution.  So even on the really tough days, when I’m hurting, or frustrated and just don’t know what to do next, I can lean on the fact that my Father in Heaven knows exactly what to do, even if I can’t see it.  It’s trusting in that that is hard.  Sometimes it feels like it’s easier to just keep trying on my own, keep going around and around and maybe one of these times I’ll get it right and things will go like they should.  But they don’t.  It’s not until I take my eyes off the problems and focus on the One who can truly guide me in the right direction that things begin to turn around.  It’s easier said than done.  On the really bad days, it’s hard to remember that there’s a God in charge of the situation no matter what I’m facing.  But when I take my eyes off the problem, I truly am set free. 

Jan 22

It’s The Little Things

Chicken City

Winter finally returned this week! Mid-week, another winter storm moved in, dumping several inches on us. Today, we ended up with a drizzly, icy rain that left a coating of ice on the vehicle. We enjoyed lots of time indoors with the dogs this week, and managed to get outside a little bit too.

Our basset hound is obsessed with a YouTube channel called Chicken City. She prefers it to be on the televsion all day long, and will often whine and bark if it is not. She also still loves to play with stuffed animals. For Christmas, my Mom got her a stuffed animal; her very own chicken! It was one of the best gifts she could have gotten, and she has been enjoying it since we opened it this weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHcFEvoaHLI

Time With Family

Between the blizzard on Christmas Eve, and illness, we didn’t get to spend Christmas with either side of the family. This week, we celebrated with some of Ben’s family early in the week and part of my family later in the week. I spent time with my mom, sister, a niece and nephew at a sporting event, and we exchanged Christmas gifts. It’s odd doing Christmas almost a month later, but since the accident, and with Ben’s health declining, we’ve needed to adjust our expectations and plans in so many different ways.

It was great to see family, and I enjoyed a nice drive. In north-west lower Michigan where we live, it’s often a drive to get anywhere. The weather was great though, and the drive took me through a lot of countryside with limited traffic, which was really nice. I spotted a couple of new species to add to my bird list for this year, bringing the total number of species to 16, and I was able to pick up a few groceries at Meijer on my way back. This may not seem like a big deal, but where we are at, stores like Meijer and Walmart are a bit of a drive, so we plan our trips carefully.

Books I’m Reading:

I haven’t shared book ideas in a while. Here are three books I am either currently reading or have recently read:

  1. Atomic Habits by James Clear
  2. Dear Writer, You Need to Quit, by Becca Syme
  3. When We Were Young, by Karen Kingsbury.

One thing I’ve noted in the past that I’ll mention again now is that different people like different books. I recommend books I am enjoying, but may still be reading some of them. It is always possible I may miss something inappropriate or may not have read a section yet that is inappropriate. Also, things I don’t have a problem with, others may find offensive and vice versa. While I am enjoying and recommend these books, please use your own discretion when picking out books to read.

It’s the Little Things

This week, we remembered my sister-in-law Morgan, who has now been gone 15 years. You can read about that here: https://talesfromnorthcountry.com/2023/01/18/fifteen-years-later/

So often, life seems to be able up of all the big things that happen to us. Deaths, marriages, babies born, graduations, new jobs, big moves, and so many other things that we encounter. And yet, in the day-to-day of lives there are so many amazing things that happen every day and we often pass them right by.

One of the things I will always remember about Morgan is how she focused on the ordinary, but made it seem extraordinary. In memory of her, my dad created a video on Facebook. I hope the link will work. https://www.facebook.com/100000178873722/videos/842670623469457/ In the video, you can see the photography that Morgan took, how it focused on not only the big picture, but also the little things like a butterfly on a flower, raindrops on a daisy or leaf, waves rolling up on a beach, or pinecones hanging from a tree.

Life isn’t just about the big events. The little things matter too. The way the sun slowly rises in the morning or sets in the evening, the way the rain falls softly on a windshield, or the way whipped cream slowly melts in a cup of hot cocoa; it’s these little moments that I think we’ll remember the most in the end. Sure, we’ll remember the weddings, funerals, births, graduations, and other major events. But I’ve found they often don’t stand out as much day to day as the little moments do.

The little things matter. They really do. Whether it’s finding time to read a book, or soak in some fresh air, feel the rain upon your face or feel like water between your fingers as you glide across a lake in a canoe, it’s those moments that make up every day. Often, we pass those moments by because they seem so ordinary, and yet, when we really stop to look at them, they often become extraordinary. Like an amazing sunrise we stop to admire, or a mother duck slowly gliding across a lake with her babies, like the way ice cream is so satisfying on a hot summer day, and how green grass feels against the toes when you’ve had nothing but snow for so long. Those are the moments we need to hold on to, to treasure. Sure, the big moments are important too, and we need to remember them as well, but it’s the little moments that make up our lives.

-Until next time,

Cindy