What I expected was to pull myself up onto the massive inflatable, stand up, and walk to the other side with my children. What happened was I pulled myself up onto the massive inflatable, stood up, and immediately displayed my gracefulness as I fell and slid back into the water. Moments later I watched Kyle faceplant as well. Apparently adolescent/teen-type agility is required to navigate the slippery-inflatable-waters. Never have I felt more like a beached whale than I did during this thrilling hour; I also can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard.
What I expected was to rest. To shut off my mind and enjoy freedom for a weekend. The recovering workaholic in me is starting to wade back into the waters of stillness. It’s a lovely place, but I’d not visited it in a while. Last September was the beginning of the shift and now here I am sitting on a back porch listening to the leaves rustle in the breeze, hearing the water hit the bank just feet from where Malachi is fishing, and watching J dance to the music being blasted from the passing boats.
What I expected was to wake up at 6:30 and convince Kyle to paddle board across the cove to the rocks on the other side before the morning wake-boarders set sail. We did. Neither of us fell in or got hit by a boat crossing what felt like an enormous body of water. About 30 minutes later the sky poured rain and gave some glorious background music to the back porch sitting.
Yesterday at work I heard a wise man, Mark Balthrop, ask the question… “Dwelling on met expectations. What is this?”
The answer to his question: gratitude.
For nearly a decade I played the work your life away game.
It sucked.
Today, I am grateful that I’m slowly walking the opposite direction.
Today, I’m grateful that I’m becoming a bit more familiar with the word no.
Today, I’m grateful for the unfilled space.
Today, I’m grateful for my job that’s helping to create the unfilled space and my team that gave me the opportunity to be a part of it all.
I’m grateful for a quiet weekend with Kyle and the kiddos.
For Kim and Steve’s generosity.
For shade trees and air conditioning.
For Outdoor Boys buying us a teeny break from the fun.
For a lack of sharks and alligators in the big body of water I’ve been occupying.
For shade tree naps.
What I expected was a quiet weekend.
What I received was a reminder that God’s gifts are often found in the ordinary moments when we finally slow down enough to pay attention. When we dwell on those met and exceeded expectations.