This afternoon I took a much needed break and sat still for about an hour on my back porch. There was a gentle breeze blowing across the lake, the birds were chirping and singing, the hummingbirds were flitting and the squirrel had abandoned my bird feeder for a bit. Never fear, he will be back once I go back inside.
I had just finished using the leaf blower to blow the deck clean of cobwebs, birdseed and these little teeny tiny balls that have been dropping from a tree that is next to the deck.
To say that these little ball things are annoying is an understatement. This is one of the messiest trees I have seen next to the River Birch tree that is always shedding something. I am usually barefoot and these little guys hurt when I walk on them.
They are prolific and just when I manage to get one area free of them more drop down to make their presence known. 
The problem with trying to rid of them is that they stick in the ruts of the boards on the deck. They are the perfect size and once they are in there a simple blow from the leaf blower does not dislodge them. 
They are essentially stuck in a rut.
Hundreds of them.
Things like this always make me stop and think.
I know. I think about weird things sometimes but these little balls got me to thinking about how often “I” get stuck in a rut. Oh–I travel a bit and have had some amazing opportunities that have popped up for me in my life but sometimes my spiritual life is what gets stuck in a rut.
A quick prayer. A short devotional here and there. A few words jotted down in my journal that are inspired by a Bible verse. But quite often those things are lacking and I realize that the rut that I am stuck in is one that needs to be broken.
What happens when I break out of my rut? Only time will tell but hopefully I will begin to sprout. Maybe like this errant piece of birdseed that found its way to another crack in my decking. 
13 Comments
Leave a commentHow often I have had similar thoughts. Such a “buffet” world we live in! Snatch a bit here; grab a tad there; an thought snippet/conversation partially heard (not focused??? Me????); a ‘God-nudge’ overlooked. My porch swing has, also, been neglected of late. It’s my ‘go-to’ summer quiet spot, but has been “invaded” by the construction of the nearby garage. An excuse??? Perhaps. But, I know there must be a change……..a pull-back……more than a quick ‘snatch’ of time to allow that little seed to sprout. Thank you so much for a post I needed to “hear”!!!!! Hugs……………..
Thank YOU! It helps to know that I am not alone in my lack of focus lately. I crave it and I must realize that that needs to be the priority of my days and not all of the other “stuff” that seems to fill it. Hugs back.
I think we all feel stuck in a rut sometimes! Especially when we are tired or have a lot going on.
You are right. So I need to be gentle with myself, right?
Here’s another devotional for that book of devotionals you will be compiling and submitting to a publisher. 🙂
🙂 Someday….
Ah yes,,,, we’ve all been there! Although my “stuck in a rut” experience looks better than those little leaf blowing things!
They are so annoying! But a reminder that even annoying things have a purpose. 🙂
Ick, I hate leaf blowers. Might as well give in and ream those seeds out with a stray broom straw.
An appropriate song for this post?
I think we all are there, and probably more often then not.
A vacation away, writing out / listing my annoyances, exercising and getting enough sleep all help me get out of ruts… now I am making a brief list of things I want to do before I die!
Great idea to make a list and do those things to get yourself out of ruts! It is a very easy thing to do!