I rarely assume that the future will bring puppies (I've been pleading with Dave for years now) or rainbows (although rain is always assumed). Rather, I'm certain that whatever idiocy I've concocted will bring the sky crashing down around my ears. This usually involves my mouth getting thirty yards ahead of my brain. (I used to know a miniature dachshund who was hugely incontinent when overexcited. He was the best metaphor I can give you for my speech proclivities.)
Over the summer, I started a Negative Prediction Notebook. It looks like this:
This is partly because I buy more perfect tiny notebooks than I know what to do with, but mostly because over time, it's useful to me to see that I'm wrong a lot. Absolutely, I say and do stupid things, but the earth doesn't start spinning in the opposite direction when that happens.
My little book is a useful technique, but my ongoing prayer is that I need it less. I'm praying that I grow to rest in grace a bit better than I do now. It's important to me to have high standards, but I want to learn that I often get more than one chance to meet those standards. Sometimes, it's better not to believe I know everything.
Are you praying to know more this week, or to "know" less? Let me know, and I'll be praying with you.
lol I am not sure how I feel about your notebook but I love the peeing dog analogy.
ReplyDeleteHas the sky ever really crashed down around that pretty little head of yours? And, if it did, would you not just make something amazing out of it???
Love you. Love you more than you ever know or can imagine.
Oh, Princess Mindy, it has indeed crashed. And I did not make something amazing.
ReplyDeleteBut I love you, too. Thank you.
This morning in a rather stunning fashion I had a trainwreck: I'm running late, it's raining, the self-check in the grocery store almost made me cry...(really). Leaving errand 1 on way to work I got a call to do something extra for someone. Headed on my way to do it. Then got a call from someone else to do something extra for them. That task was located back where the grocery store was. Went to first helping location. Went to second helping location. Have not bitten anyone yet but definitely relishing the quiet moments.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what the hell happened. It's just a shock when it all goes kablooey like that and I seem to be fresh out of equanimity.
:) So, please pray for me to keep it in the road! Love you.
You've got it, MB. Prayers to keep your shit together, breathe a little, and maybe let some joy creep into the chaos.
ReplyDeleteI've known a negative prediction or two in my life. IEP meetings are a good source
ReplyDeleteI need to be better about keeping up with your blog. Your "know-it-all" blogginess gets me thinking. I don't always feel the need to agree, but I like that you challenge what I take for granted, since I, myself, have delusions of intellectual superiority from time to time. To quote my boy Willy, "I do not suffer fools gladly". I try to avoid praying for patience these days - I really don't need to add things to that list - but I do pray for an open mind and a lack of defensiveness when I'm challenged or confused. I learn so much more that way!
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