zen and the art of...?

sort of like an unfortunate re-run of that (tom hanks?) movie, ‘the terminal’ i find myself taking up temporary residence at the sea-tac airport for the time being. i arrived many hours ago and will still be here for many more. initially, the incremental delays seemed inconsequential -- but when i realized i wouldn’t be leaving the ground until nearly 12 hours after my initial arrival, my heart was a little saddened ;o/

once i was given a definitive departure time (and an upgrade to first class!) i was a bit more encouraged. and now that i have settled into a friendly corner and discovered a serendipitous wi-fi pocket i really can’t complain.

as oft as i think i have learned the lesson, i realize that for the rest of my life i will be discovering the meditative mystery of life. ‘you only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods
that all its inhabitants may exhibit themselves to you by turns.’ as thoreau once said. and although these aren’t the woods and the creatures revealing themselves are not colorful ferns and mosses, i suppose the moving sidewalks and the little shuttles with flashing orange lights will have to suffice in this situation.


…already i did discover in the giftshop the most exciting treasure of the day! when i was in Honduras some of my friends there had learned how to weave little pocketbook purses out of used chip bags (yeah, like doritos and cheetos bags). before leaving some of them gave me a few to bring back with me… and today i saw one nearly identical to the purse little sara had woven. not only so, but there was a sign with it saying these purses were hand crafted in comyagua, honduras. wow. what a strange strange world we live in. i took a picture on my cell phone because i didn’t want to forget that unexpectedly surreal moment on the airport giftshop. those little ironic purses are creating quite a story for themselves. it is hard for me to envision sara, who has never even lived with electricity in her home, how would i explain that her purses are being sold here? i wondered if the women who were picking up those little gems, admiring the colorful zippers and commenting on their unique design felt the touch of my friend sara. like two very different, but not so separate, worlds weaving together, their fingers touched the product of hours of thoughtful work. probably woven amongst a group of friends placticando about the coffee harvest and about the rain and their husbands and children. there is so much hidden love and wonder and mystery that we touch every day. i am thankful this one time i had my own tiny snapshot of the world with which those inquisitive shoppers were colliding.

taste and see that the Lord is good… psalm 34:8

…His compassions never fail, they are new every morning…lamentations 3:22-23

its another day in the dusty haze...

i must truly be an internet geek at heart because i have caught myself saying aloud 'i should blog about that' numerous times in the past two weeks. i am learning that just because something isn't noteworthy, doesn't mean it isn't blogworthy ;o) yet life has seemed to fill up almost every spare moment until now... and as luck would have it, all of those slightly-less-than-noteworthy moments have passed and suddenly i have no idea what to blog about!

i am going home to colorado in less than a week and i am really excited. this quarter has passed by with amazing berevity -- mostly because of my trek home at the end of may -- and yet i feel sooooo in need of a break and the refreshing embraces of the ones i know and love.

if i were to name this next chapter it would be entitled 'patent pending.' i feel like the Lord is up to so much work in my life. there are days that are super difficult for me to face, (though no more than the difficulty the gold faces when letting go of its dross) but all in all life here in seatter is g- double-o d. i know there are also some things in my life with which i really need to 'fish or cut bait' (is that the expression?) you know, like take some ownership...but gah! committment is soooooooooooooo unsettling! i have been learing how to play the guitar. that has been interesting. probably one of the things in my life i have had the most dedication to. you have to start somewhere i suppose. but, seriously, life is too short. i know that there is a time for everything, but i can tell that it is due season and so i'm excited.

while i'm home i think i will get to see some good faces -- some much needed faces. and i will also be out on a sail boat..for many days! many days for some thoughtfulness. that will be really great.

also, this weekend i got to spend some time out on lake washington with my friends who recently acquired a new boat, i studied for finals (eek) -- called my dad (of course) and discovered a new favorite coffee shop! it has been super rainy and so there is a really huge and noisy truck across the street that is pumping water out of the construction site where they are building new town homes in place of my once favorite old house on the street. my roomate and i are talking about adopting a little dog -- well actually, not that little, like maybe an alaskan mal or something...? i really have a lot of finals work to do, so i should probably go. i have jason aldean playing in my head (and he takes the tractor another round...) does that mean i was made for middle america?