Not What They Seem

It turns out what I thought was a steelwalk is actually a plastic and aluminum walk.  These have been on the sand right next to the frames all along.  I imagined great rolls of steel somewhere in a storage area. Nope.  These were in plain sight.

We're supposed to get snow soon.  I don't know how many bike rides I'll be able to go on before then.  I almost didn't ride today because rain and chains don't mix, but it was only sprinkling.  I'm glad I went. 

Seagulls can be very entertaining.  They seem braver than geese. 

I have been thinking a lot about how things aren't always as they seem.  It's easy to make faulty assumptions about people and events. 

We watched a LDS Youtube for family home evening last night, "Oh How I Love Thee," with Elder Jeffery R. Holland where he says we should assume the best about people rather than the worst.  He says we need to learn to love people the way the Savior loves people.  That's not always easy to do, but it's true.

I've been thinking a lot about love.  I'm not sure, but I don't think anybody ever gets enough.  No one human can completely fill that great need for someone else all of the time.  Most suffer from a lack of love to one degree or another at some point.  We go on anyway and many claim or blame dysfunction of one sort or another.  Maybe recognizing that lack of love is a very common problem makes it easier to bear.

"Love is worth the pain," someone said to me recently.  I don't like to need people and loving people isn't always easy because we get hurt.  I'm good at pain avoidance.  Fear of pain can keep people isolated.  I'm not always good at loving, but I'm learning.

Stand Fast

This creative/writing blog of mine has been a biking blog lately.  I go through phases.  The weather has been so unusually mild this year.  I'm grateful.  I love biking. 

The pieces of my life weave together.  Before biking, I was reading the scriptures.  I've been trying to find precepts in the Book of Mormon because as it says in the introduction, Joseph Smith said, "A man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."  The precept I chose for yesterday was from Alma 46:23 and 27 which includes, "Yeah, and now behold, let us remember to keep the commandments of God, or our garments shall be rent by our brethren, and we be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain....Yea, and even it shall be ourselves if we do not stand fast in the faith of Christ."

That brought to mind the image of someone standing in the middle of rapids and not falling over. Someone with their feet firmly anchored in river rocks. I liked the image. In life, we are often in danger of falling and being swept away, but our faith in Christ can fasten us and make us strong enough to withstand the current.  We can only be strong like that if we are keeping the commandments and persisting in faith in Christ.

So I went on a bike ride.  Even though the weather has been relatively mild, it is often windy and cold. After about five minutes outside and a blast of icy air, I wanted to turn around and head home. I also wanted to ride, but it was just too uncomfortable.  As I was about to ride up onto my driveway, I still didn't really want to give in to discomfort.  So I let a spark of curiosity keep me going. I thought I'd stay out long enough to see if other people in our neighborhood were hoping the brush removal service would come again. I wanted to see if other "lawn and leaf" bags were on other people's curbs.  After riding around for a while, I discovered, yes, there are. By then I was warmer and found the strength to keep going.

I rode out to the lake.  These are steelwalks, as opposed to boardwalks in the pictures at the top of this post.  They pull them out of the lake every year before the snow falls.  They must roll up the middles and store them somewhere else.

I enjoy watching geese.  I learned recently that it's not one goose leading all the rest.  Any one of a flock does something and the others follow.  I saw evidence of that.  One led them all on a walk along the lakeshore.  The rest followed.  One in the middle of the parade took off flying toward the lake.  The others followed, even the one that had been leading them on the walk along the shore.  In birdville, anyone can lead and everyone can follow.  Someone just has to be opinionated and the rest need to be willing to do something different. 

It was a relatively short bike ride, so I hopped on the treadmill when I got home.  I read recent conference talks on the treadmill.  I was reading the one by Elder Neil L. Andersen.  For some reason, I didn't think I'd get anything out of it, but I did.  I really liked this:  "To change is difficult.  It requires running into the wind, swimming upstream." 

Sometimes headwinds are difficult.  Running into the wind, biking into the wind, swimming against the waves: it's all difficult.  A lot of what I'm trying to do right now feels like swimming upstream.  Sometimes I feel like giving up.  I realize I just need a little desire, a little action, a little faith, a little reason to keep on going.  I know I can change, I know I can do hard things with the Lord's help.

What's Left

43 degrees outside?  Of course I went biking!  Ha ha. 

I really don't like biking in the cold.  Had I known I'd be faced with headwinds half of the time, I might have chosen differently.  But all my kids were finally well and back in school.  I probably wouldn't get another opportunity to ride until Wednesday, if then.  So, I dressed warmly and headed out for a long ride. 

There aren't a lot of leaves left on trees, but there are some impressive colors.  We haven't had real snow yet, so leaves are hanging in there that would have fallen by now.  I also noticed a lot of bright berries on trees and bushes.  I should have taken pictures along my ride, but it was too cold to stop.  So, these pictures are from my yard. 

Cosmos are hardy little flowers.  We've had freezing temperatures, but there are a few blooms hanging on. 

Empty Places

70 degree weather?  Of course I went biking!  If there weren't such strong headwinds, I would have been out longer. I relate to empty trees and worn benches.  I need to get back to work!  Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the sunshine.