Sadly, this
is the time of year when things die. It sounds morbid, but it’s true. In June, everything
is beautiful, green and healthy. By August, the lack of water coupled with a
series of ninety degree temperatures leaves our lawn riddled with burnt spots.
In a few weeks, the leaves will turn vivid reds and oranges, and what happens
next? Brown crunchy leaves will litter the ground, forcing us to dig out the
rakes and leaf bags. Maybe there’s a way to bring the greenery back. Take a
look:
The grass
looks green from afar, but of course it comes with a cost. There are other ways
to revive a lawn, and each one takes time, patience, money, or all three. Maybe
we’re not willing to put that much care into our lawns, but what about relationships?
Which one of your relationships needs watering?
We’re in
a bubble. I can’t recall the number of times weather forecasters predicted
storms and while we watched dark clouds roll in, increased winds, and thunder,
no rain came. I’m not complaining, though. It feels good to have a covering, a
protective bubble shielding us from the storms. My heart goes out to people in
areas damaged by natural disasters. Scientists agree that the overall level of protection
we enjoy is amazing. Take a look:
Regardless
of the tornadoes, floods, and fires that surround us, we’re still alive, and
often uninformed about the bigger catastrophes that bypassed us. In short, things
can always be worse than what we’re going through. How were you spared from an
awful situation?
You haven’t been annoyed
until you’ve had to stop on a particular road in our town. See, we have a slew
of railroad tracks stretching across our community, but there’s one special track
spot you want to avoid. Here’s what happens: You’re zipping along on a sunny
summer day with the car windows rolled down. Suddenly, you hear the ding-ding of
the warning bell and see the red flashing lights signaling an oncoming train.
Of course, you stop the car as the train rumbles down the track. Lo and behold,
it’s not any ole train. No, it’s a freight train; the kind of train that
transports massive boxes of cereal, soaps, and soup. You shrug and figure you
won’t be there long. Wrong!
The train will slowly
lumber by while vehicles line up behind you. When the train pauses, you sigh and
wonder how much longer you’ll be there. You wait and wait and wait. About the
time you consider making a U-turn, the train begins moving again—only it goes backwards, retracing its tracks. And so,
you wait and watch the railroad cars you just saw heading right, go left as
they lumber back in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately, I’ve
lived through that train crossing at least three times. In fact, to my horror, we
approached it this week. The bell rang, the lights flashed, and if the
conductor had looked my way, he would have spotted me doing the famous Home Alone face. But, this time was different because within a minute the freight
train was gone. Annoying, but not the usual horrifying time. Sometimes, we just
have to grin and bear it. Speaking of bearing it, I betcha can’t watch this entire
video:
https://youtu.be/1V6N6kh4oOQ
Are you screaming yet? Don’t
buy a house in that community. When you’re especially annoyed, what keeps you
from resorting to the Home Alone face?
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The waters at Hilton Head beach felt as warm as ocean
temperatures should ever get. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine a more
comfortable time in the water, but I wonder if the aquatic life felt the same
way. Placed on a spectrum, ocean waters will feel cold, cool or warm, and looking
at whatever skews toward the end of the spectrum is always interesting, like
this:
https://youtu.be/raMILbHdhZs
Although standing knee-deep in ultra-warm water with the sound
of waves lapping the shore is enough to lull me into dreamland, it’s not an ideal
sleeping situation. Some things feel good, but are bad for us while things that
we don’t enjoy may be highly beneficial. It takes courage to admit that we’re
in a negative space. When have you disliked where you were and what helped you
move past it?
