What’cha Doing?

 

What’cha Doing?

Michelle and I just returned home from a several-day stay at a B & B up in Door County as part of our ongoing celebration of our 45th wedding anniversary. It took until breakfast this morning for our host to finally understand us. 

She started right away the afternoon of our arrival, wanting to know what we had planned to do with our time.  If you’re unfamiliar with Door County, some refer to it as Wisconsin’s Cape Cod or Martha’s Vineyard.  Now, as one who was born and raised and appreciates Wisconsin, I would turn that around and say that Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard are Massachusetts’s Door County.  It is safe to say that Door County is home to much unique natural beauty, places to see and things to eat, and it is a magnet for tourists. 

Michelle and I are only a 90-minute drive from home to anywhere in Door County, so we visit it fairly often in all seasons.  That is one of the reasons why we approach our visits in a relaxed manner, while many of those who are trying to pack an entire year or lifetime into a few days can be seen frantically racing from one place, event or restaurant to another.  We especially enjoy the local theatre offerings, but one venue we knew wasn’t having their opening night until the date we were heading home, and another was offering a play that, while entertaining, is a repeat of one they offered several years ago.  With attending a play off the table, we had decided before heading up that we’d focus on some casual hiking at some of the lesser-known nature areas.  One was new to us and the other is a long-time favorite.

Our host gave up yesterday in suggesting places that we “Had to go to”.  We had been sharing descriptions of the butterflies and wild flowers, including several orchid varieties, that we had encountered far away from the crowds and all of the fuss and noise and stress that goes with that.  This morning as she served us a delicious breakfast at a table outside she said that she had noticed us the morning before relaxing and laughing and sipping coffee for more than an hour after breakfast before we headed off for our hikes.  “I’m just more used to guests who are trying to pack as much into their stay as possible.  I think you two did it right.”  We assured her that we understood her position as a good and helpful host.

Truth be told though, I used to be quite clueless about relaxing.  Certainly, ever since my college days, and certainly most of the years when our children were home and growing, I felt a greater sense of urgency about spending my spare time trying to be as busy as possible.  Some of that was the reality that work and my career ate up a lot of my time.  Then as the children grew and developed their own interests there was always a baseball game, or school event, or band practice or performance.  Even my vacation time, which was supposed to be about relaxing, was spent trying to get as much “doing” in a never-enough amount of time, as possible.  Even as my faith became more front and center, and I was eventually ordained as a deacon, that just seemed to force a different priority, but not a different approach to time.

Fortunately, God blessed me with enough time to finally figure it out.  Matthew Kelly refers to it as “carefree timelessness”.  It is a sense of being content with just being with those you love, beginning with God and then cascading through relationships of family, friends and those I minister to.  I no longer feel that I have to pack ‘doing something’ into every possible moment.  That no longer is how I define or value my faith, my ministry, my family life, or my purpose.  That doesn’t mean at all that I am stagnant.  There is still much more to do than I have time for.  And that’s OK.  

His Peace <><

Deacon Dan     

Photo by eloy carrasco on Unsplash

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