Summer's End

It seems like whenever the weather starts getting cooler and Summer is on its way out, I begin thinking about the Summer and what I did and what I wish I had done, but didn't get around to doing. It's a sort of grieving process for the end of Summer, I guess. The ennui doesn't last too long because Autumn is probably my favorite season of all and it's hard not to enjoy its deep blue skies, crisp air and the crackly crunch of fallen leaves.

In evaluating this past summer, I've realized that most of the things I wish I had done don't center around big adventurous or exciting activities, but around rest. Generally, I suppose I could say that I wish I had rested more this Summer. When I think of Summer on its way out, I regret that I didn't spend more time talking with God, or simply sitting in the sun, or reading for pleasure, or lying on my back looking at the clouds, or having a good conversation with a friend. The simple pleasure of spending an afternoon with a friend and doing nothing in particular is underrated. Some of the best conversations come out of those times...but you've got to hang around long enough to let them happen.

Today

Today I saw a homeless woman on a bench while I was walking to church. I had seen her yesterday too, and Krista and I finally got our nerve up to ask her if we could buy her some lunch. She said she had already had something. Today I asked her if she wanted to come to church with me. She said she couldn't come right then. I found out that her name is Brenda. We talked for awhile about churches and bus stops and West Street and teenagers walking through Annapolis at night to go to restaurants. We said goodbye and I told her maybe I'd see her around. I was late to church. I hate being late because being on time is one of the great struggles of my life, but today I didn't mind. Today finally feels like living simply.

Simply Complicated

Simple. This is what I want my life to be...and when it's not, I get frusterated because I have this vision of my life and how I want it to be and how I want my day to go and it never goes that way. "This would only happen to me!" I go school and there's no parking, I go to work and the receptionist is out sick, I try to print something and end up elbow deep in an unplanned printer disection. The truth is, this would only happen to everybody. Everybody's lives are complicated. Supposedly, there are people who live simply. We know this because they get their houses photographed for Real Simple Magazine. These are the sorts of people who have time to do those craft projects featured in Martha Stewart Living. I have yet to meet one of these simple people. Everybody I know uses magazines like Martha Stewart Living as oversized drink coasters that can be flipped through if an important task needs avoiding. The question, "So, how's it going?" seems so unassuming, but the answers it can elicit can be some of the longest (or shortest) narratives you'll ever hear. Everyone has a story...and everyone's story is complicated. There's no way around it. Life is messy. Que Sera Sera.