Like most people, there is a fairly predictable pattern I follow on a day to day basis. On most mornings, I get up, go through the motions of personal preparation, head down to the kitchen to make my coffee, then load into the truck to take my son to school. My office is just across the street from the high school, so once I’ve dropped him off I head directly to the office to get about the business of the day. This is standard operating procedure for every weekday but Friday.
There is nothing energetic or exciting about the execution of these activities. I try to have a happy heart and an attitude of gratitude. But, most mornings it takes effort to maintain enough focus to just go through the motions. If I’m honest, I’m not terribly excited to be awake at o-dark-thirty. The anticipation of the demands of the day create more anxiety than energy. On some mornings, a blithe indifference feels like a solid win. Don’t misunderstand; I love my life and I love my job. But, we all have moments and seasons when we feel like we’ve fallen into a rut and life seems mechanical and bland.
Friday is my day off. I still go through the motions of every other weekday, but rather than heading to the office after leaving my son at the school I head back to the house. This deviation from the norm allows for a slight adjustment to our morning routine. On Fridays, the baby of the family, our 90 pound Golden Doodle, Evie, gets to ride along.
I wish I was as excited about anything in my life as my dog is about her Friday morning rides in the truck.
I am convinced that Evie knows when it is Friday. On most days, Evie is just as lethargic as the rest of the family. Most of her mornings are spent lying on the couch watching us plod around the house. On Fridays, however, she prances around the house like a princess, never getting more than a few inches from my side. But, the greatest indicator that Evie knows it is Friday comes when I tell my son that it’s time to “GO.”
When she hears the word “GO,” Evie bolts for the door like lightning. She sits with her nose only inches away from the door, squirming with anticipation. When I open the door she pushes past me into the garage. She sits impatiently between my feet and I can feel the tension in her body. The energy is palpable. As we walk to the truck, she gets the “zoomies,” meaning she runs erratically around me doing circles as she goes. Finally, she jumps into the truck, taking her seat up front and in the middle, looking attentively at the road ahead, ready to enjoy her weekly ride.
There are blessings in the simple things, the everyday and ordinary, if we are willing to open our eyes and see them.
Her energy is contagious. She makes the morning something more than it otherwise would be. It’s impossible to observe her excitement and not smile and feel just a little better about the day before you. I wish I was as excited about anything in my life as my dog is about her Friday morning rides in the truck. She gets so much joy from something that is incredibly mundane and ordinary. She reminds me that there are blessings in the simple things, the everyday and ordinary, if we are willing to open our eyes and see them.
2 Corinthians 9:8 reads, “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Every day we draw breath is a precious gift from God. On the very best of days, God is good and God is blessing you. On most difficult and dark days, God is good and God is blessing you. Interestingly enough, in my own experience, it is easy enough to see blessings in good and bad times, but difficult to see them in the flow of the status quo. But, the blessings of God is there for us to experience every day.
the blessings of God is there for us to experience every day.
Every day I wake up to the sound of my alarm clock in the morning and face the potential of a new day is a blessing from God. Every day I brew a fresh pot of coffee and enjoy the goodness of God’s creation is a blessing from God. And, every day I climb into my truck and drive off to do the work God has placed before me is a blessing from God. Thank God for Fridays and my little furry princess that reminds me that every day is full of blessings from God, even and especially in the little things.
