Random musings

Monday’s Musings — Caffeinated Chocolate

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Caff Chocolate

I’ve been out of the country on a business trip with plenty of time in the schedule for some personal time. It’s been a relaxing one.

The other day, I pulled into a convenience store to fill up the rental car with gas, and I decided to go into the store to grab a coffee. I’m not usually much for convenience-store coffee, but I needed a jolt to finish my day. I was pleasantly surprised to see a dark roast. The clerk, who had greeted me with a happy, smiling face upon walking into the store, told me it had just been brewed. He also said I was welcome to try a taste before buying (does that ever happen in the United States?). It was pretty good!

So, I grabbed a cup, added a creamer and was putting on my lid, when I noticed these chocolate bars in a display box on the counter right near the coffee. Caffeinated chocolate? I had never heard of it! Granted, I know that chocolate does naturally contain some caffeine and stimulants, but this was totally different. One of these bars had the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.

I snatched one of each — a milk chocolate and a caramel — and paid for them with my coffee. I decided to tuck them into my bag for later as I settled into the car to enjoy my coffee and head to my next destination.

The following morning, I had to jump on a very early flight. At the airport, I had time to pick up an omelet bagel and some water, but didn’t get a coffee. When the flight attendant asked about beverages, I asked for a coffee (another place that doesn’t usually serve good coffee), and while drinking it, I remembered the bars in my bag.

I went for the caramel. It was great! I usually prefer a dark chocolate (hint-hint to the company), but I like anything that has caramel with it or on it. It tasted just like a regular chocolate bar, but soon I knew that it was an extraordinary chocolate bar when the caffeine jolt kicked in.

WHY do we not have these in America? I was wishing I had bought the whole display box at this point.

I’ve since found out that they are available on a very limited basis in the U.S. The chocolate bar’s website (Awake Chocolate) tells me that the chain-brand convenience store in the next town over from mine might have them. I WILL be looking when I get home!

Reaping a Harvest

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Peas

The peas are finished.  An abundant bounty was provided and reaped.

I spent a lot of time preparing the soil, selecting my seeds, planting with care, pruning seedlings, pulling weeds and praying over what I hoped would grow. My wish was to provide healthy, organic veggies to my family and feed my interest in gardening.

At the first picking, I was like a child who had gotten into a jumbo bag of chocolate candies. Really! That’s how excited I was to get out there and pluck the pods from the vines! I was so pleased with how the peas had grown. As I was picking, I’d pop open some of the pods and taste the freshness contained within. Some of the peas were nestled in their pod in a perfect row; others were odd-shaped or off-kilter when cracked open. Some should have stayed on the vine a little longer (my yearning to pluck them got the best of me), but their sweetness was still divine.

There were a few more pickings that followed, but the bounty was less each time. My excitement seemed to lessen with each subsequent picking.

The time came to decide if I thought I’d get any more peas. There were a few flowers and even fewer flower buds, so I left the vines in place with the hopes of getting one more small crop. I did, but it was only enough for one family dinner.

Once I knew the supply was exhausted for the season, it was time to pull the vines. Have you ever grown peas before? There are an abundance of vines. Each dried pea planted is a vine grown. The vines are leafy and full. Pulling the vines led to the discovery of a tiny weed and bug menagerie living at the soil level.

With each handful of vines I pulled, I’d say a little prayer of thanksgiving for the abundance provided. (When I’m in the garden, I talk to myself, and I talk to the Lord a lot.) Cleaning out the vines, weeding the new space, turning over the soil and preparing it for the next planting was not as fun and exciting as it was when I did it for the first planting, but it was rewarding since I knew the bounty would grow with some care and nurturing.

Gardening doesn’t always turn out successfully with a single crop or even within a single season, but, overall, an educated gardener should be able to expect a satisfying crop over the span of seasons.

Life doesn’t always turn out exactly how we’d like it to in a day, a month or a year, but an invested believer can trust in that which is promised.

Monday’s Musings — Reflections

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Two facesI’ve been spending a lot of time looking back at my life lately. Writing has the effect of causing one to reflect. In the process of looking back, I’ve also spent some quality time looking forward.

Many of my reflections — both back and forward — have put a smile on my face. The blessings I’ve been fortunate enough to experience and the hopes of what may be to come give me a sense of happiness.

Then, there’s the other side. The agonizing pain, the should-have-never-happened regrets, the scars in my soul that may never heal (on this side of Heaven), the darkness and uncertainty of what may be ahead…these reflections give me a sense of gloom.

You have the same reflections, don’t you? …reflections back and reflections forward which create feelings of happiness and feelings of sadness?

When I look back at my life, I want to be able to say, “Wow! I am SO glad that I ________________.”

I want to fill in that blank with activities, experiences, opportunities and people who made me laugh, made me feel accomplished, allowed me to grow, opened up my horizons, challenged me in a way that I’d never be the same, fulfilled me with a sense of passion and love, and put me on a path of deep satisfaction and joy.

I don’t want to be the kind of person who looks back at my life and says, “Wow. I really wish that I would have ________________.” I don’t want to focus upon what I’ve lost, what I’ve missed, what I’ve given up, the sadness and heartache, and the road never taken.

The bottom line is:  We’ll all be able to fill in the blanks for both statements. That’s life.

I want my bottom line to be a go-to instinct to jump at the first one.

I want my nature to be nurtured by the blessings I’ve experienced, not the regrets of my life.

I want to BE the kind of person who smiles, not the kind of person who shows indifference.

Not only all of that, but I want to be the kind of person who smiles and shines in such a way that when others look, they see one whose heart beats with joy…and they know from Whom that joy comes.

Monday’s Musings — Creating a Better Fit

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Sewing Shirt

One of my sons is a baseball player. All season I’ve been wearing the fan t-shirt. I only like t-shirts if they have a very loose collar, and this one doesn’t. It rubs my neck, and it makes my round face look even more round. Ugh.

For weeks, I’ve been thinking, “I should do something about this collar.” I wear the shirt a few times a week at games to support his team, and I think about that collar every time I put it on. It’s one of those SHOULD DO things that doesn’t get done. But…it did get done this week.

Using a seam ripper, I carefully took the collar off the t-shirt. I then pressed and rolled the ragged edge of the fabric twice so it would not unwind –that would not be at all attractive, even for a t-shirt. I then ran the new collar’s hem through my sewing machine. The whole thing took me less than half an hour.

My altered t-shirt feels so much better on me now! The slightly-scooped neck is much more comfy than the tight crew neck, and I’m astonished at how much slimmer my chubby cheeks look with this simple alteration! I should have done it at the beginning of the season, as it would have saved me a few “should-a-would-a” thoughts.

How many aspects of our life could use a slight tweaking to create a better fit?

What if I would get up 15 minutes earlier each day? What if I made a pact to have an empty kitchen sink before heading to bed? What if I would deal with every received email on a check-it-once basis?

Hmmm…the possibilities:  a few extra minutes for Bible study — I’m always craving more time anyway; a pleasant feeling when walking into the kitchen in the morning; no more dread wondering how I’ll get through 2800 emails — someday.

Slight alterations. A better fit. An opportunity. A new outlook. More productivity.

There are blessings all around us. Too often, we feel that CHANGE has to be big. No. A quick and simple alteration can create a better fit in our life, in the Word and in our walk in just a few moments. Imagine the trickle-down effects. Blessings are waiting to be realized — with or without a sewing machine.

Monday’s Musings, A New Week & Soapy Fingernails

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Fingernails Soapy - Copy

Welcome to a new week! Thanks for venturing into it with me!

Last weekend, I wrote about paddleboarding — you can read that here:  http://wp.me/p1oeLN-2I. I know the subject didn’t quite fit into the rest of the writings I’ve shared, but I was (and still am) looking for a way to throw in some tidbits outside of faith-based hope writings of the week. So…welcome to a new week!

Monday’s Musings? Wonderings from the Weekend? I need a title. Any suggestions?

My plan — my hope — is to start the week by offering up a lighter post that goes along with something I experienced, did, thought about, etc., at some point during the previous week or weekend. I don’t know it it’ll work out, but I’m going to try to get my hands dirty at trying it.

Speaking of getting my hands dirty…

The rains have been abundant in this part of the country, which has led to my garden being just a tad neglected. I’ve been behind in my weeding. With a break in the weather this past week, I decided to head out to the garden and take on the task of weeding.

I wear gardening gloves for planting and digging, but I feel like they hinder my ability to pull weeds, so I often don’t use them for this task. This presents a dilemma when it’s time to clean up.

Dirt under the fingernails.

So this week, I tried a little experiment. I got an old bar of soap, and I scratched my fingernails into it before venturing out to the garden. This bar of soap will stay with my gardening tools, as it’s not very pretty anymore.

For the most part, it worked. When I was finished, I used a nailbrush on my dirty fingernails, and the soap that had been under my nails made clean up easier.

The neglected garden gave me a lot more to think about. Friday’s post was a start — you can read that one here:  http://wp.me/p1oeLN-3W  — and you’ll probably see some more of those thoughts in the coming days.

Make it a point to find hope around you this week. It IS there! Enjoy your week!