Bon Voyage or NOT!

Will life ever calm down? Well, I kinda sorta thought this would be my weekend. I'm on a plane headed for LA to set sail on a weekend cruise with my husband and the adults in his family. Such fun, right? I had grand plans to get my hair done and toes painted but that didn't happen on accounting of fighting a cold (and my nerves, which always get in the way when leaving my children). Of course I had a few other things to catch up on before leaving: laundry, grocery shopping, church assignments, school assignments...you know, all of that busy work.

 

So all that's done...will I be able to find the calm I'm desperately seeking? Apparently NOT. Aside from still fighting my nerves (darn nerves), I just heard somebody talking about a Tsunami advisory off the coast of California! Okay, that has to be a joke! Nope, sure enough; there was an 8.3 earthquake somewhere in the ocean and now a threat of a tsunami on the California coast. Can this really be happening? That is so NOT calming!

 

Is it coincidence, you tell me, that as I sit here in the smooth air over Oklahoma (I think), and read this timely quote in a book about one of my favorite females ever, Abigail Adams. This quote is in reference to Abigail's sea voyage from America to Europe to see her husband after four long years of separation, "Far worse than the storm was the dead calm they encountered several days later, during which the ship idled motionless with not a breath of wind to fill the sails. The enforced stillness made Abigail philosophical. 'I begin to think that a calm is not desirable in any situation in life. Every object is most beautiful in motion, a ship under sail, trees gently agitated with the wind,  and a fine woman dancing...man was made for action.'" 

 

What a profound statement and I believe it's true. When do I feel most beautiful? When do I feel of greatest worth? When do I feel the most satisfied and contented? When I am doing! When I am serving; whether in my home, at church, or otherwise. Abigail is right, the calm is not desirable. It actually seems pretty boring, now that I think about it. "In motion" is where I want to be. 

 

A cruise would have been nice. And maybe a few days of peace, quiet, and adult-time would have been enjoyable. But I am convinced that the storms of life are what keeps life interesting and reveal true beauty. Who wants to read a book (uninterrupted), poolside on the Lido deck, sipping frozen lemonade anyway? Not me...well, on second thought, DARN!