Creating Change.....

I live in a 70-something year old house. In Florida. Under a 70-something
 year old oak tree. Amidst heavy rain, humid conditions, 
resulting in abundant mold, mildew and algae growth.

This results in the necessity to pressure wash everything on the 
property frequently. I do not attend to it nearly as often as I should 
because it is a giant pain in the derriere. But I do have a cute, little white,
picket fence that regularly loses pickets due to rotting wood. So each
picket gets scrubbed and then pressure washed, replaced and the entire
shebang painted. So the fence along with brick walkways and patios
and etc., were pressure washed yesterday. 10 hours of mud flung onto 
and into nearly every orifice of my body. Which was kinda fun!!!

As I wielded the mighty wand of water, I had plenty of time to meditate.
I’m always looking for meditation opportunities. Really, nearly everything
I do can become a prayer. I noticed that the water pressure required
varied from surface to surface. Too close to the picket fence and I would
knock off the picket or strip off the paint. Yet not close enough or not
enough water pressure applied to the bricks and there appeared to be no
change.

The parallel to my life is glaringly obvious. Sometimes I just want to 
take the easy route, I don’t want to apply the necessary pressure to 
create needed changes. I resist. I’m lazy. It looks too hard. So I sit, 
seemingly minding my own business, sailing along on cruise control.
However, I’m sailing NOWHERE. I’m stagnating. Nothing is as perilous 
as stagnation! I risk everything if I risk nothing!!

As I pressure washed the bricks, I blew away the mortar that held my 
patios and walkway together. Not all of it, thank goodness, but enough 
that repair will be necessary. This is more work but it will result in a 
stronger foundation.

A rocket scientist is not on call to point out the ramifications in my own life.
 I, more frequently than I enjoy, must scrape or blast out the old before I can
build the new. I figure if I’m going to put forth the effort, I may as well go all 
out and bolster up my foundation with fresh new material, build it on a firm 
ground. (Luke 6:48)

As the pressure washer was blasting away the offending material, it also 
blew away weeds and leaves that I had not yet cleaned up. This is the 
unexpected benefit of applying pressure in my life. As I accept and proceed
with challenges that face me, I am rewarded with happy little surprises here
and there. It’s like the Universe opened up and showered me with blessings
of which I had never dreamed.

It was a great day. And a great reminder that life is not meant to stand still. Movement is required to live an abundant and joyful life. And sometimes 
that requires some healthy, self-imposed pressure.

I’m in. How ‘bout you?

Me..the pressure washing freak!