Having done the cleaning at the building yesterday while school was not in session, my page 17 workday began at 7 AM instead of 6.  I bought a wrist-worn activity tracker yesterday and it was interesting to see how much movement it recorded while I slept — I suppose that might explain why I tend to feel tired no matter how early I go to sleep.  I wrote next week’s prayer guide yesterday but I still needed to format it and schedule it to post on the website and go out via email, so I began my day working on that.  As I worked, UPS arrived with boxes of books to complete the restocking I needed to do before the next conference I’ll attend.  I guess they were trying to minimize the number of boxes shipped as many of them had multiple titles in them.  That made confirming they had printed and shipped what I ordered a little more difficult than usual, but I managed to confirm I had what I ordered and needed.

As I worked in the office, six deer showed up and spent some time grazing along the edge of the woods.  They appeared to watch me as I watched them and eventually made their way further into the woods and out of sight.  Mid-morning I had a service tech show up for a semi-annual inspection so I put a pause on my writing and editing work to make sure the tech had what was needed to get the inspection done.  Once the building needs were taken care of, I finished up my office work and headed out mid-afternoon for some lunch.  The air was full of moisture but the temperature was mild for mid-January so after lunch I headed down to Potato Creek to get a “waist management” hike in.  By the time I got there, the moisture was no longer staying in the air as a light drizzle was falling throughout my entire six mile hike.  Even with the drizzle and haze, there was beauty to be found throughout the park.  Today’s photo was taken on a black and white setting as a reflection not only of the tree, but also of the gray atmosphere that was spread out over the horizon.  As I neared the end of my hike, I came across a few deer grazing along the roadway.  I guess my deer friends from work hadn’t let these deer know I was coming as they high-tailed it out of there as soon as they saw me.  

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Sometimes sleep doesn’t include enough stillness to get the rest we need.
• For many people, their time with God is so hectic that it doesn’t include the stillness necessary to achieve rest for their soul.
• Sometimes things in life aren’t as neat and orderly as we would like.
• Things of value are useful even if they require more work than we expected.
• Regular inspections of building systems are good things.
• Regular inspections of our spiritual life are even more necessary.
• If we keep our eyes focused beyond the haze of life, we will be able to see the beauty that God desires for us.