And at 7 o’clock in the morning, no less!
There I was, a few days ago, driving to the grocery store, thinking through all the endless things I had to get done at work, when these words spilled through my car stereo:
“Gone fishing. It’s a sign we’ve seen in windows of barber shops and corner stores for years. It means we’ve locked up and headed out to do something we love. A little sign that says so much: about a need to fill our lungs with fresh air. To stretch, to laugh, to simply get out and play. Luckily, there’s a state dedicated to those little signs. With hundreds of lakes, and thousands of rivers and streams begging you to hang up, ‘gone swimming,’ ‘gone camping,’ ‘gone sailing.’ Nineteen million acres of woods, ‘gone biking,’ ‘gone golfing,’ ‘gone climbing.’ And the world’s longest freshwater coastline, ‘gone rock-skipping,’ ‘gone hiking,’ ‘gone wondering.’ It’s too easy to get caught up wading through meetings and scaling mountains of paperwork. It’s time to play a little hooky.” [words taking from PureMichigan.org radio spot, Gone Fishing]
Life is too short to spend all of our time taking everything so seriously.
You and I already spend too much time working, and running, and trying to keep our head above water. There’s an entire world in front of us, begging to be explored. And I’m willing to bet, there’s a bunch of little wide-eyed adventurers living in your house (like mine) who are ready to go on a big adventure with you at any point.
This happened to me a week or so ago. I was pulling into my neighborhood after spending time out of town, when something caught my eye out of the right side of my car. I eased to a stop and looked up to see 3 of my children running toward me. They were with their oldest sister, fishing in our neighborhood pond. As I walked over they excitedly shared just how many fish they had each caught. Without a care in the world, they lit up as they explained the steps involved in baiting a hook, casting out the line, and then removing a fish and tossing it back after a big catch. Yep, wide-eyed adventure right before me!
As I stood on the banks of the pond, listening to their every word, any worry or care I had about the days ahead faded into the background. There was no place I would have rather been than right there with them. I’ve found that it’s the little moments, like that one, that take my breath away and bring needed reminders to my heart.
What I’m continually challenged with, I’ll share with you: don’t miss out on what truly matters most. Live your life to the fullest, embracing every moment. Love those around you with a crazy, reckless love that is unmistakable. Spend time with your husband, or wife, and children so they know they’re the most important people on earth.
Go ahead…call in to work today.
Leave a voicemail. Send an email if you have to.
Tell them,
“Gone Fishing.”
[reminder]Do you need to slow down and take a break? What’s stopping you? [/reminder]
