Renewal

On By Brooke McGillivrayIn Change, Odd Bits and Things

Mostly I’m a point A to point B person…. as in, we have a long way to go so let’s go.  Now.

I’m not your best choice as a shopping partner.  I can fake that I like shopping for a while… a short while.  Typically I have a list and that’s the reason I’m at the store.  I want to get it over and done.  Now.

My husband is not a point A to point B person… we’ve been together almost 44 years and he’s lost somewhere in the middle of the alphabet.

If you’ve got the time he’s fun to travel with.  But be prepared, you’ll see most everything you wanted to see plus a lot that you didn’t.

If you’ve got the time, he’s fun to shop with.  Bring lots of money… and an appetite.  There will be many coffee stops and lunch involved.  Maybe breakfast.  Or dinner.  Possibly all three.

I’ve secretly wished I could be a little more like him.  (only a little!) We’ve come a lot closer to meeting in the middle over the years, but his life seems more interesting than mine.

The problem is when I want to go to a place, or investigate something, or do a new thing, I reason myself out of it.  Because, you know… there’s not enough time, it’s inconvenient to stop, someone’s waiting for me, someone is with me and they would be uncomfortable (I imagine), or I’m fearful.

Unfortunately, the last reason is probably the most true.  Fear of spontaneously doing a thing and risk looking like an idiot… stops me.  And it’s really quite silly.

Several times a week I drive the two-lane highway in this rural community.  And every time I turn off toward the road we live on, I think how beautiful the field is.  I wish I’d taken pictures of it change through the seasons.  But, you know… there wasn’t time, it was inconvenient, someone was waiting on me, didn’t have my camera, or… I just felt silly pulling off the side of the road taking pictures.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The other day I realized new grass was coming up.  Isn’t that a springtime event? This is the end of November in the cold, windy Pacific Northwest.  Yet there it was… tender, green grass.

I pulled over and took pictures.  Not great pictures.  I’m still  learning.  Just pictures of something I want to remember.

A few minutes standing in the wind with camera in hand, rain sputtering in, refreshed me.  In a moment’s time I felt renewed.

A blogging friend of mine recently wrote her word for this Christmas season is “awake”.  Awake to the beauty and meaning of the season, not getting bogged down in the rush and hype.  I like her choice of words.

My word is renewal.  It doesn’t need to be spring for new growth.  It’s happening right here, right now… in this soggy, windy, rainy place I live.  It’s happening all around me… inside me.

Renewal.

I suppose all this sounds silly… that’s ok.  But I plan to keep my camera handy for future impromptu stops.  There’s nothing to be afraid of and it only takes a moment to snap the shutter.

15 thoughts on “Renewal”

  4. Karen

    Good to hear your musings. What you saw may have been soft winter wheat that grows in Oregon(for crackers-think Triscuits!) or grass seed that is grown for the lawn seed industry. Kind of fun to figure out what it might be though. Loved the pictures. I have stopped to take pictures of three lone oaks on the way to McMinnville. They seem so stately standing there for the last 100 years or so, can’t really document the time….but they look like others of that vintage. Maybe I will take my camera on the way to the doctor today. You inspire me.

    Like

    Reply

  5. Renewal – doesn’t need to be spring for new growth – perfect! The best time to start is always now, isn’t it? Good post. When my family is with me, I hesitate to stop and take pictures, too. The someone-is-waiting-on-me syndrome. I have that, too…Good to read of your thoughts and challenges, knowing we are in the same boat. Thanks!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Yes, agree that the best time to start is now. I can’t count the times I’ve said, “I’ll do that when… later… etc.” But later doesn’t usually work 🙂 It is comforting to know I’m in the same boat with someone 🙂 thanks so much, Maureen.

      Like

      Reply

  6. I’m so glad you stopped for that picture! I love the idea of growth and renewal being appropriate in any season.

    We’re always going from point A to B, too, because that’s the way my DH travels… a get in and get going approach. But I take my camera everywhere now and find I look at things with different eyes. Even taking shots through the front windshield at 100 k/hr sometimes results in something I might otherwise have taken for granted.

    Blessings to you Brooke. I hope you found satisfaction in your 21 days project.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Brooke McGillivray Cancel reply