Yeah, it's okay

Day two of unemployment and we are nearing snow storm number three. It makes me feel a little better about being locked up inside for a few.

The past month has been slightly traumatic. I've kept most of it out of here, but there have been lay-offs, a random shooting, a wreck, and other traumas involving people close to me. It's really hard to see the people you care about go through these things and it's really easy to let it all get you really down. You're powerless to really improve these situations other than a phone call or best wishes. The world seems colder and a little less safe than it did not so long ago. It kind of makes you want to throw your cell phone out the window, too.

After a day of work and errands, I crawled into bed at about 1:00 and my thoughts caught up with me. Instead of taking me down, I found myself just being really thankful. It became this strange prayer: thanks for the bullet that grazed the chin, thanks for the cars that weren't in the other lane, thanks for the warning, thanks for so many people to be thankful for, thanks for the time I got to spend with them, thanks for the warm food, the car that is paid for right outside, thanks for the amazing people that i have around me...it went on for quite a while.

I don't really believe in asking God to heal the sick (trust me, death happens), or make it rain (maybe someone else really needs a dry day), or grant certain jobs (although that one is tempting). I think he was capable of making a world that spins around fairly well. I do believe in asking for things like peace, and grace, and acceptance. These are things that are usually outside of my abilities, and they are things that even logic can't seem to grant me. I also believe in giving thanks when it's due, and sometimes that can be found beautifully in the really messed up times.

On a much lighter note, I have a new life goal: to be a part of a flash mob (this one is an ad, but there are great examples here).