Walking in the Woods

I surprised John with a walk in the woods a few weeks ago. He was born in the blue grass hills of Kentucky and raised in the winding mountains of Western Pennsylvania. He loves the woods and he loves hiking. There's not much of that going on in central Indiana. Mounds Park is about all we've got so that's where we went. 

It felt so peaceful and perfect - coffee in hand, light breeze, leaves about to change. 

How could a place so maze like, so twisty and complicated and full of thick trees and fallen leaves feel so peaceful?

And I felt like I was walking through my own life, my own head and heart. 

Life is good. Life is wonderful. Life is full. But lately it's felt a little confusing, a little hard to navigate and a little twisty. A little bit like walking through the woods. 

Everyday is always full of so many decisions. 

Should I go back to school? Twisty and complicated. 

Should I focus on building my business? Thick trees, fallen leaves and I can't see the path. 

Should we move? Should we save that money for a new car? Should we do this? Should we do that? 

Maybe you're not 24 and suffering a quarter life crisis. 

Maybe you're 50 and thinking about changing careers for the first time. Maybe you're deciding whether or not to start a family, or move, or how to spend your money. Or make a big decision that seems so daunting. 

Read Ecclesiastes with me. 

It's my "life book" for the year. 

"After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now.It’s useless to brood over how long we might live... "  - Ecclesiastes 5 

That's what I am trying to focus on. Simplicity. Enjoy the woods for what they are. Enjoy it. It is twisty. It is complicated. And it's good. 

I'm working on enjoying the confusion and messiness and all the complex parts of life. Because they will pass and in the end they don't really matter. Enjoy it - but it's just "smoke". "Like spitting in to the wind". 

And during this season of walking through the woods, with my husband, coffee in hand - I'm trying to enjoy the moment. Even if I don't know where I'm going.