537 Life’s Needs Gobble Up Wants
“Clothman, I didn’t see you at the YMCA Riverbank Run this year. Where were you?” the ChaffeMaster asked. “Are you okay?”
The ChaffeMaster was right, for the first time in a dozen years I didn’t do the Riverbank Run – the one event each year that I don my Clothman outfit complete with cape and reddie-tighties (superheroes always wear underwear outside their clothes). I wanted to do the Riverbank but I’m in a season of life that has dramatically rearranged my priorities. Life’s needs are gobbling up my wants. Let me explain.
Clothwoman and I just finished moving my father-in-law from an assisted living facility in Washington State to a nursing home in Missoula. The amount of time and effort it took to make that move was equivalent to the energy it takes to launch the space shuttle. Of course, now that he’s here we are devoting more of our time toward helping to meet his on going needs.
This spring and summer we have to move both of our mothers to Missoula. This entails the clearing-out, cleaning-up and selling of two houses – one of which my “never-spotted-a-yard-sale-they-could-pass-up” in-laws have been filling to capacity since 1969 – bless their souls. One house is located in Idaho and the other in Washington; neither is near Missoula. Of course once we finally get the moms settled into their new homes we’ll have three aging parents to assist.
While moving our parents in (so to speak) we are moving Clothgirl out. She just rented her own apartment. Yes, a small step on her path toward independence but an emotional one for us. At the same time Clothboy announced he’s pursuing an ROTC college scholarship after he graduates next year. Now we’ve got that application process to complete before June so he can move too. All of this (and more) on top of our normal busy American lives …whew! So no, we didn’t do the Riverbank Run.
In the middle of this congested mid-life rush hour of life several things recently dawned on me:
1) Many of our hassles in life are the direct result of materialism. For example, each of us possessing our own living space and then filling it up with stuff is as American as Pontiac and Oldsmobile. But for all the pleasures that brings there’s also a down side to our independence and hording.
2) Try as we may to anticipate our future, few of us is ever correct. My 50’s don’t look anything like I envisioned them in my 30’s. What in the world will my 70’s look like – if I live that long?
3) Jesus wisely said to “love our neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19). We can’t love others if we don’t love ourselves and we can’t love ourselves if we don’t love others. I am being challenged to love others at higher level than ever before; which has ironically forced me to love myself more. Jesus also said, “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you will find yourselves cared for” (Matthew 5:7). I believe Jesus but these days the ‘cared for’ part seems overrun by the ‘care-full.” I’m sure it will balance out later on.
4) Life challenges are not limited by geography or age. Challenges are life – everyone’s life. Lately I’ve tried to stop and truly listen to folks, regardless of what continent they live on or what age they are and guess what? They’re all experiencing joys and sorrows in life; every single one.
5) There’s still more to be thankful for than there is to complain about; but only when I purposefully choose to look at the world through the eyes of thankfulness and joy.
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