Diary 5/12 - 5/16

Daily thoughts that may or may not be helpful.

Monday, May 12

I’ve always known Colette as a gardener. In California, she grew lemons, wild flowers, rosemary, and lemon verbena before we married. When we moved to Pennsylvania, she grew bee balm, starter vegetables, and a raspberry bush; across town, she grew zinnias, sunflowers, tomatoes, lettuce, and basil. When we built the house in Virginia, she put in a kitchen garden, where she can stand at the sink and watch it grow. Today she walked me around and showed me its contents: green beans, peas, carrots, beets, spinach, radishes, thyme, oregano, strawberries, sunflowers, and cucumbers. She feels close to God when she feels the dirt between her fingers.

Tuesday, May 13

Tonight, Colette and I went to a special county planning commission meeting. The topic was whether a private elementary school should receive a special use permit to be built along a country road in our area. The residents along the route have had “No School” signs in their yards for months because it’s expected to bring hundreds of new vehicles daily to the narrow, aging roads. The meeting was almost three hours long as the planning board listened to the school, deliberated, listened to public comments, deliberated again, and ultimately voted to approve the special use permit. The county supervisors will receive their recommendation and make a final judgment this summer. Colette and I are pondering the situation. At first, we sought solidarity with our neighbors and opposed the school, but now we’re unsure. It’s an instinct to protect what you have, but what if there’s a bigger story at play?

Wednesday, May 14

I started a new strength workout this morning at the gym, so I was focused on the new exercises. I needed a 45-pound weight, so I turned the corner to find the squat rack, which held extra weights. I went to grab the first one I saw, and a guy was standing there. I asked if I could use that one, and he said no. “Why not?” I asked. “Because I’m using it.” Then I noticed that particular weight was on his squat bar. Oops. Later, when getting dressed in the locker room, our lockers happened to be beside each other. Thankfully, I didn’t grab anything that wasn’t mine.

Thursday, May 15

I met a friend for lunch. I had heard he was taking some brave steps in life. They were bold movements in a direction he never thought he’d take, but his mindset had changed, and he decided his actions needed to catch up with his thoughts. So he did the unthinkable—he moved forward in the new way. I am so proud of him! It made me think of the once-unthinkable dreams that are now history. What seemed impossible became possible through a series of incremental steps. In the end, getting from here to there wasn’t as hard as it felt; the difference is the perspective one takes. Don’t aim for the end; aim a little farther, then a little farther, then a little farther again, and finally you find yourself where you’d only dreamed. That’s what my friend did.

Friday, May 16

Asher ran in the state track meet today. As a freshman, he qualified for the 400 for only the second time he ran it. So at States, this was the third time. He came in seeded dead last—24 out of 24–but he ran a great race by taking a second off his best time and ended in the Top Ten. His other event was the 4 x 400 relay, which he only ran once. His team broke the school record and ended sixth in the State. It was a thrilling season, and I’m already excited to see what this kid can do next year.

LAST WEEK