Relapse

I may have had a relapse. 

Or, better known to my husband as a "total freak out"

Without going into details that may make you think twice about visiting our house, we had a small rodent issue.  Two in fact.  One inside, one outside.  We ended up spending another "date night" ripping things out in the basement.  I handled that pretty well, but then there was an dental insurance issue in which we are paying for family coverage, but I wasn't added as a benefitee to our policy.  Even though on our enrollment papers it says we elected coverage for employee, spouse (that's me!) and child(ren) AND we have been paying for it for almost a year.  I had thought that my coverage would (finally) be active as of Monday, so I made an appointment and then cancelled when I found out that there is a waiting period, but then re-scheduled the appointment for later that day because I was sure I had 6 cavities.

So I payed out of pocket...and guess what?!?  No cavities.  Really?  I could have waited a few weeks.  But I suppose even though we are out one-hundred odd dollars, Austin doesn't have to deal with my worrying that all my teeth are disintegrating.

Yes.  I can be ridiculous.

So our basement is ripped up, there are ground squirrels burrowing all over our yard, we just replaced our garage door motor because mice ate the cables (<--If that doesn't give our troubles away, I don't know what will...) AND I paid out of pocket for a dental exam that could have waited weeks or months.

As I ripped up creeping charlie in the backyard I got back into the "things will be better when..." mindset.  But, this is just life. Things are going to break down. Wildlife is going to try to take over.  Babies are going to cry.  Life is messy, but it's beautiful.

If I can't be happy where I am today, I can't be happy today.

I apologize if that's a really stupid thought.  But it got me to thinking about a Dave Matthews song that I've listened to many times, but didn't really know the lyrics to until a few weeks ago.  I really don't know what the song "Cry Freedom" is about (maybe the apartheid?), but this phrase stuck out to Austin and I:

"The future is no place to place your better days"

It's easy to think that "things will be better when," but even if that's really true, if you have that mindset, isn't difficult to find any enjoyment in the present?  If you are so focused on the future and what good things it may bring, are you blinding yourself to the blessings in the present?

These are the questions I am pondering now.

Life is good.  The better days are here.  The Lord has blessed them all.  Even when mice chew up your garage door opener and you don't have dental insurance and the ground squirrels are winning the war of the yard.