Uprooting the Weed

What’s the story with weeds? Why is it that the things we dislike the most become the hardest to eliminate? Regardless of how many times we forget to water or fertilize the flowerbeds, the weeds still thrive. Look around. They’re our sturdiest plants. They protect themselves with prickly leaves, so when we try to uproot them—ouch! They’re sneaky, too. As soon as they’re tall enough to be an eyesore, they sprout pretty flowers to blend in. In a last ditch effort to bug us before we yank them from the ground, they release fluffy, white seeds to birth future weeds. Face it. Weeds are tough to eliminate, but if we keep them around, we’ll be sorry.

                                              https://youtu.be/Vr-uYE1yR_k

Who knows what lurks behind your weed stalks? Given what that lady could face, she has to be prepared. Her leave blower is on-hand, and when normal weeding tools fail she gets serious. Did you hear about her back-up weeding weapon? Stay out of her way.     

 Weeds are like bad habits. Both can be dangerous to our well-being. If we don’t eradicate them, our lives can become a total mess. It might take extreme measures to uproot the firmly entrenched ones. What’s your best plan for eliminating the weediest parts of your life?               

Calories? They’re Worth It

How much do you like breakfast? Would you eat it several times a day? I bet you’re wondering, “Who does that?” Well, on a trip to the west coast, our family ate breakfast three times.

 We picked up the first meal at a local convenience store on the way to an early morning flight. Several hours later, after boarding the plane, the airline served “breakfast.” The flight was wonderful. The breakfast? Not so much.

The flight attendant offered us a choice of a cheese blintz or quiche. It was a lose-lose proposition. Do people still eat cheese blintzes? I chose the quiche, which seemed to be a mixture of egg and the crust that’s usually found under the egg. Believe me, the texture of blended egg and flour didn’t work. To be fair, I did like the fruit, the biscuit, and beverages.

We ate our third breakfast during a brief layover in Arizona. When I say “we,” I’m referring to   my family. While it was ten-thirty in the morning in Arizona, it was lunchtime on the east coast.  I bucked the trend and ordered a tuna sandwich, but we laughed as the rest of the family ordered pancakes. So, that’s how we squeezed in three breakfasts. In additional to the food, guess what else we enjoyed?
 

                                         https://youtu.be/9Jw5LTmq-XY

We didn’t plan to eat that many breakfasts. It just happened. Although great things can happen by accident, they’re often the result of intentional planning. That’s one of my words for the year—intentional. If we want to change, grow, or improve, it’s going to take intentional planning and focused work. Your goals are worth it. What’s your plan for reaching your most important goals?   

           

Free to Fall

Banking on the GSP’s promise of a gas station not far down the road, we set out on an unfamiliar, alternative route toward the Californian beach. The road twisted and turned through a mountainous region. Before long, we realized we picked the road with only  occasional guardrails separating us from heart-stopping, sixty feet drop-offs. Besides that, directions for the “promised” gas station led us to a right hand turn and a sign that said “road closed.” Duped by the GPS again.

 So, we inched along a long, windy mountain road with only a quarter tank of gas, and due to the elevation, no GPS reception. But, after several more miles, we located a gas station, regained the GSP signal, and exited the harrowing mountain road. Looking back, I’m glad our drive on I74 looked nothing like this:

                                             https://youtu.be/BA8G4Tg0sZw

It’s amazing what we’ll endure to get to where we want to go.  As you heard, thirteen guys in   China paved their own road, although several men didn’t live to see the end. Robert Frost’s well-known poem implies that choosing our own road takes courage. What’s the scariest road you’ve taken?