Cooler

This afternoon, I took a stack of the week's newspapers down to Edith, an ageless neighbor (well, actually she is 90 years old, but she seems just the same woman as she was when I was a kid, though not quite as mobile--she only drives her pick-up in the summer time). She and I walked around her yard and she showed off her different varieties of lilacs. Incredible. I was stunned at how rich they are. She let me pick some, it felt like she was giving me gold (only lighter).

For years now, I've sought to "live simply". The other night as I loaded my car before work, I felt like I was no where near being simple. I mean, who has to load their car to go to work for two nights. It was, in a way, my very attempt to be simple that makes me appear less simple. I had with me:

- my overnight bag--a swimsuit so I could get some exercise at the local pool, which thankfully is indoors, a change of clothes to for work at the daycare, clothes to sleep in because the basement where I stay is cold, and a work uniform for the following night. I needed the overnight bag because I was attempting simplicity at not having to drive an extra 50 miles to come home and sleep for 7 hours before I returned.

- my computer bag so I could work on my school work in the extra time I'd have not driving

- a bag that I take into work with me so I can read on my break

- a cooler with food that I made so that I wouldn't have to buy food at the convenience store

- my purse.

It took me two trips to get it all in the car. Beth, who was dropping off eggs, laughed at me.

Travel lightly. Ha.

I'm going to be traveling again. And as much as I'd like to, I sort of doubt I'll be able to do so lightly. I'll keep you posted though.

I've decided to quit my jobs as a CNA in the Rugby long-term care and at the daycare where I work part-time to go visit Joseph in Africa. And if I'm going to spend the money, I decided, I might as well stay a while. Maybe two months or so. Hopefully we'll find out, while I'm there whether he's got his visa or not to come to the US.

I've had to do a good deal of deliberation about whether it's smart, as a grown-up, to just quit a job and go off galavanting the world again. But, whether or not you agree with me, I've decided that it is. While I want to be wise, and a good steward, I don't want to make money the top priorty and the basis for all the decisions in my life (though it has been at times). So from Aug 11 til probably the last bit of October, I'll be in southern Africa again. Somewhere I seem to have a hard time staying away from.

Obviously, I'm excited to be able to be with Joseph again, and other friends. I'm also excited to find ways to connect my studies in early childhood education to what is happening on the ground in Africa. I'm excited to focus on my studies and how they can be applied in Africa someday. But I'm also excited, to just take a deep breath, trust that God will clothe me as he does the flowers of the fields, and simply live.

That said (I was going to end the blog with that) I must say that I think a simple life is not true unless it can be created in normal daily living of busy people. We can live simply even if we have to work and have kids and carry coolers places.

The Joseph and Africa I'm going back to...