A dear sweet friend of mine was telling me about her trip to the dentist recently. She left early, as is her routine, but became distracted and took a wrong turn that led to another wrong turn. She pulled over to get her bearings and realized that she had left her partials she puts in every day at home. She had to go home and get her teeth before she could return to the appointment! I have loaded myself down to avoid two trips to the car and locked myself out of my house having forgotten my keys three times this year! (We now have a hidden key) Another friend of mine has quite a reputation with drive thru windows ordering at the trash can, singing into the speakers, or driving off without the food! These are not rocket scientist knowledge and skills here- just daily living!

Have you ever caught yourself driving somewhere you didn’t mean to go just because that place is in your regular routine - the car just drives there on its own? It’s truly an amazing reality how much of what we do is just routine acts. There is both stability and loneliness in that fact. Stability in that we have a life, places to go, things that make up who we are. But loneliness may swirl around our hearts as we catch glimpses of life going on within our visual scope that we have not ventured to explore or perhaps been excluded from. Recently I have become a student of lives around me watching to see responses to similar circumstances. This personal study has only confirmed we are all just like Planet Carol. We have a choice at every turn and what we choose defines us.

We are never alone in this life. Everyone has their story. Sharing these funny calamities helps us all feel perfectly normal! Yet as open as I have become there are still closed topics I will not discuss. But chances are I eventually will, because I am finding that as I allow a true friend to peek inside these private windows I find that I am not alone. There are choices I can make if I choose to receive the courage Jesus gives to all who come to Him.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13

That has been a key verse in my heart for years! When I was bemoaning about something I just couldn’t do an avid and sensitive listener asked me why couldn’t I apply Philippians 4:13 to that? Caught red handed! I chose not to. Perhaps today is the day to take the plunge and jump in.....