Michiganders

Well, not really, but at least for three weeks for me & a month for the rest of the clan.  I surprised Ginny the day before we left & came out with her and the rascals.  I was supposed to follow them up a week later, but a few maneuvers on the down low, and I was coming with the family- I have this thing for surprises.  I am forcing myself into the discipline of working while up here, and have been somewhat successful.  It sort of feels like a movie, as I pedal the bike into town and work from the local coffee joint (Roast & Toast) or from the Petoskey Public Library- which unfortunately attempts to charge non-residents a $1 for internet, but I refuse to pay for the ability to get online, so instead, I pay for coffee and the internet is just thrown right in.  I lose 75 cents in the deal, but by the math in my head, I win.

A change of scenery is always a welcomed occasion for me, and it could not come at a more pivotal for us.  My role at the church has officially ended, so I am in the stage of trying to figure out and line up all of the things that just do not seem to want to operate on my calendar.  So, I call it faith, but it may just be stupidity.  Nonetheless, I am referring to this time as a “sabbatical”, and, as always, I get to define what I mean by “sabbatical”, and I mean  the following:  a time to step away from the normalcy of the average day- throw in proximity to a large lake for good measure- and reflect on what things matter and won’t things will not outlast the life-cycle of my flip flops.

The last 4 years of our lives have been a bit wild, and I can only describe them to an outsider as being similar to a ride on the Gravitron.  I don’t know if you have ever been on a Gravitron, but as a Fort Smith, Arkansas kid- the annual fair at Kay Rodgers Park always brought with it the likes of whatever country music singer had a twangy hit or two that year, Allen Jackson and the Chatahoochee come to mind, and always- the Gravitron.  Basically, it goes round and round in nothing but a circle, getting faster with each rotation, until everybody’s feet actually come off of the ground- well, everyone but the fairgoers who had one too many turkey legs.

So, I am thankful for a time away from routine.  I am asking and hoping for this time to be a time we talk about in years to come- and even as I talk this way, the pessimistic mini-matt on my shoulder whispers to not hype it up to a level it will never ascertain.  I digress.  I am hoping for a sort of re-calibration.  Because  without it, my default kicks in and finds me fighting and flailing, just running after man’s approval or seeking money or worrying- feeling that it is pathetic to be my age with a family and be in the place that I am.

And time away has already reminded me that I like this place I find myself.  I like a posture that pushes me to question everything.

Plus, I have been researching and writing about Eliot, and being able to do that is truly a gift I am unspeakably thankful for.

Happy 4th of July.  Thanks for stopping by and reading such rambling.  I have recently been reminded of how instrumental this blog has been in encouraging Ginny & I along the path we are traveling.  Thanks.