Constants

Nine days ago, we were in Waikanae.
Today, we’re in Woolaning.

 

Nine days ago, we were preparing for Australia.

Now we’re in Australia.

 

Nine days ago, I thought things were okay with me.

Today, I know they aren’t.

 

I think it’s the up and down nature of life in general that the one constant thing in life is how things never stay exactly the same. My life this year is a life of constant change, and I am well aware of that. But how often do we see things as changing where we’re at when we’re in our normal world? How often do we stop and really look at what is happening around us as we sit at the table every morning with our bagels and coffee?

 

I guess that’s a constant, too – the lack of conscious effort to notice the differences each second, each minute of the day. In our lives of ease and comfort, it’s a lot harder to see beyond the comforts we have.

The warm mattress every night that’s molded to our body shape.

The refrigerator stuffed with food enough to feed twenty missionaries for a week and destined to be eaten by five.

The cell phone we can pick up at a moment’s notice to make a call, or text, and connect with the people around us.

 

We talk a lot here about how different things are from home, and how quickly things change on an hour to hour basis. My awareness of change is all the more keen because change is such a large part of my life right now. I get up each morning knowing that the place my head rested last night will not be the same as tonight. That I won’t be seeing the same people today as I saw yesterday or the day before.

That my heart won’t be in the same place in an hour as it is right now.

I guess that’s the nature of this beast that is The World Race. Consistency doesn’t exist. We hurry up to wait. We wait to hurry up. We do things that don’t make any sense one minute, and perfect sense the next.

 

The connections, though, are in the little details. The fact that each of us has a place right where we are at, and are capable of making a change – noticeable or not. And maybe the little details are enough.