What I did today

I had some time alone this afternoon, so I went shopping, bought some pants, two $5 Matt Redman CD's and a special doorknob hanger called a "Blessing Ring" for our new baby soon to be born later this year. I find that walking, instead of driving can be very enjoyable. After shopping at the outlet mall, I walked a ways to get a large sweet tea at McDonalds, then just sat down in the grass underneath a shady pine and watched the bees pick which clover they liked the best.
I've learned to enjoy the simple processes of travel without a motor vehicle when Kristin was in the hospital for 39 days last year. For five straight weekends, from Friday night to Monday morning I would keep my car in the parking garage (too expensive to move it and constantly pay the parking fees) and use only my feet, and the Seattle Public Bus system to get around. I enjoyed the best autumn leaves I have ever seen in the Northwest, met some amazing people in Fremont, University District, Capitol Hill and Ballard areas of Seattle. I rediscovered that everyday life is not mundane, when you are doing what you love. The restaurant owners, barbers, booksellers, and shopkeepers were passionate about what they did; these were the grassroots people of the small business, simply trying to offer their wares in the sphere of the community they were involved in.
I say all this because, too much in our lives, and more so in cyberspace, we are slowly being assimilated into almost a robotic mentality. The hustle and bustle of the monetary bottom line, along with the misguided views and expectations of an elite few, have caused our perspectives to be knocked out of place. This is a topic for another time, but I just felt today, that like my time in Seattle last year, I liked the time I spent with the people today, sowing into the economy with the shopkeepers, and enjoying the simple pleasures God had to offer today.