A friend of mine took this photo on a recent trip to Florida. I really love this photo. If you could pick an object that describes yourself and take a photo of it, this would be that photo for me, which is probably why I like it so much.
For me this photo reminds me that I love: the beach, sunshine, playing outdoors, riding bicycles, and simple things.
Lately, I’ve been spinning a couple of times of week, trying to get in shape and take off some of the extra weight I’ve seemed to put on. I’m still at the point where spin class completely wipes me out and today was no exception. Today’s class went something like this:
“Hi everybody, my name is Crazy Patti, and I’ll be your substitute spin instructor for today,” shouted the rather enthusiastic, extremely fit senior citizen.
“Crazy Patti, is she serious?! Uh oh, I think I may be in trouble today,” I worried.
“I’ve been spinning for 20 years. I’m retired and this is my passion. I teach 10-15 spin classes a week. See if you can keep up,” she instructed.
“20 years? Gee, you must have started when you were my age. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life been in as good a shape as you, even when I was in high school, working out 3 hours a day. Are you really crazy?” I wondered.
“Okay, spin, spin, spin. C’mon, faster, faster,” she barked.
“I’m moving my legs as fast as I can and they’re not capably of moving as fast as yours,” I discovered.
“Spin to the beat. C’mon faster. Don’t slow down.”
“Phew, I’m tired already. Are we still on the warm up song?”
“Okay, now put your setting on 10, we’re going up hill,” she commanded.
“Ten, most instructors stop at 8,” I mumbled to myself.
“Now you’re gonna see why they call me Crazy Patti. Get ready and follow me.”
“OMG, who’s crazier, Patti, or me for taking this class?”
That’s pretty much is a snapshot of how the next 45 minutes with Patti went for me today. I’m exhausted and discovered that Patti is indeed in her right mind. She was fully aware of what she was doing and I did get a wonderful workout. I’m sure I’ll be grateful sometime tomorrow when my energy level returns.
Fears, everybody has them. Some have more than others. I once heard a preacher say that we’re born with only two types of fear: fear of God and fear of loud noises. Everything else is learned.
What is fear? Fear is defined as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; concern or anxiety.
I’m a little bit embarrassed to say that until just recently I had a fear of clowns. It wasn’t the absolute kind of fear, but enough that I felt anxious and didn’t want to be around them.
About a month ago I attended a luncheon to hear one of my favorite evangelists speak and much to my dismay there was a clown convention going on at the same time. “Oh Lord, clowns! Really?! Clown conventions are real?” I guess this was the weekend I was going to confront my fears. Good thing I was surrounded by Christians who could pray for me.
Well, it just so happened that I got onto an elevator alone with a clown named Sparky (he was wearing a name tag). There I was alone with a clown, stuck inside an elevator for at least 5 floors.
I don’t know what got into me, but I just blurted out “Hey Sparky, you know what? Clowns really freak me out.”
“Have you always been afraid of clowns?” Sparky asked rather calmly.
“Hmm. No, I guess not. I used to like them as a kid,” I replied.
“Did you watch a movie where clowns did some bad things?” he asked.
“Yes, I did,” I answered as I began to contemplate my irrational fear.
“Hollywood is to blame. They give us a bad rap,” he said rather emphatically.
“How did you become a clown Sparky?” I wanted to know.
“I started off making balloon animals at a church picnic. Then word got out and I kept getting asked to do it again. Pretty soon it became a part-time job,” he proudly said.
“Hmm, I see. I like to make balloon animals. You don’t think God is calling me to be a clown do you?” I felt a rush of panic.
“You never know, it’s a great tool for evangelism.”
“You’re a gospel preaching clown?” The concept never entered my mind.
“Yes. There’s nothing better than going into a hospital to cheer up a terminally ill kid. It opens doors for me to share the love of Jesus.”
“Wow. I never really thought about that. Sparky, I’m glad I met you cause you’ve totally changed my opinion of clowns.”
And there you have it – God’s grace and one elevator ride with a clown named Sparky and my fear suddenly disappeared.
Rumor has it there will be no trickery this Halloween. It appears that the individual responsible for all the shenanigans has run into some misfortune. Fortunately her underlings are not mature enough to take over in her place. So now you can enjoy your treats in peace.
I’ve recently taken to the habit of sitting quietly in God’s presence for longer periods of time. For me sitting still is a tremendous challenge, as it is difficult for me not to give in to the urge to read, pray, or worship. It’s also extremely hard at times to focus and not be distracted by random thoughts or the things I have to do 10 minutes from now, tomorrow, next week, etc.
A couple of weekends ago, I decided to go to the beach and lay under a shade tree to spend some quiet time with Papa God. Naturally, I found myself talking to God instead of sitting still. Then when I realized I was talking, I stopped. Then my mind began to wander to my ‘to do’ list and I found myself becoming anxious. So I said to Papa, “Okay Daddy, I’m not going to worry about these things anymore, I’m going to give them to you and just enjoy your presence. Help me to stay focused on You.”
As I began to relax and enjoy His presence, I looked up at the tree leaves and noticed a note attached to one of the leaves. To my surprise it was a Christian tract entitled “Do Not Let Your Heart be Troubled.” Now when I saw that I started laughing hysterically. Isn’t it just like our Heavenly Daddy to reaffirm and comfort us in such creative ways?
The next time I start to doubt my Daddy’s presence, I only have to remember that He can speak to me through the trees if He wants to. Thank you Daddy for a fun, quiet time at the beach.
The other day I went to get my hair cut by someone new that was recommended to me. Now my gut instinct was telling me not to go to this person, but because I procrastinated in setting an appointment with my usual person, I was desperate. So for the first time in decades I ended up with a haircut that would have brought me to tears had I not had to go to an interview immediately afterwards. Talk about a double anxiety.
Below are the five warning signs my gut was trying to tell me about but I refused to listen.
As you can tell, I was a little traumatized after my experience. Thankfully, hair does grow. Unfortunately, since she cut my hair an inch shorter than I wanted, it will take a couple of weeks longer before I can have someone else repair the damage.
Because today is 10/10/10, I thought it would be fitting to do a top 10 list to honor the date. Below are 10 things I’ve experienced while in Florida:
Bonus: Fisherman – it’s all about fishing. Each day the sports section of the local newspaper has an entire page describing the current fishing conditions.
