My Own Private Eucharist

I had planned to attend the Wednesday midday Eucharist at church, feeling especially in need of a little spiritual renovation during this final week before we leave for Istanbul.  But by the time I finished all my morning errands it was too late.  I might have made it if the little "I'M OUT OF GAS!" light hadn't gone on in the car, necessitating an unplanned side trip to the gas station.  But as it was, I didn't get home until noon, and I had groceries to put away, so it would have been almost 12:30pm by the time I got over to church.

So instead I had my own private eucharist with an icy glass of seltzer water and an ataulfo mango, sitting on the back deck with the dog.  He headed for the sunny spot and stretched himself out to get maximum exposure, while I reclined in the shade, marveling at the fantabulous flavor of the mango (the first ataulfo mango I've ever eaten—also known as "honey" or "champagne" mango for good reason!), sipping my cold fizzy seltzer, and drinking in the luscious aroma of lilacs from our late-blooming bush just below the deck.  There's another of these lilac bushes by the front porch, so we've been luxuriating in a lilac-scented cross-breeze for the past week. 

I gave thanks for the beautiful day, our beautiful home, the funny old dog who has deigned to live with us a bit longer—he's 14 years old, so I appreciate every day he gives us now.  And for the allergy meds that allow me to enjoy the outdoors and fresh, lilac-scented breezes, especially during cottonwood fluff season which would otherwise force me to stay huddled miserably in a hermetically sealed house.

And now I'm going to lie down for a brief rest in our air-conditioned bedroom to take a break from the humidity before embarking on my afternoon chores and closing shift at work.  It's good to spend an hour taking care of my soul when I'm feeling pressured by how much I have to do before we leave.  It seems counter-intuitive to put aside the To-Do List for that hour, rather than get another hour's worth of errands run and chores done.  But I know all that running around would just crank up my anxiety another notch and make it that much harder to get everything done!  And I need the reminder that finding an eyeglass repair kit is much less important than enjoying and giving thanks for all the blessings of this moment.