so this week i find myself hidden deep in the wooded hills and valleys of northwestern pennsylvania. the HG is out hunting and gathering in some tree stand being pelted with freezing rain and snow, whilst i find myself piddling around the local antique (aka “junk”) shops during the day and catching up with family and friends over steaming cups of black coffee.
we’ve come home for two weeks every fall for the past 9 years. it’s really the only vacation we take all year and the anticipation is intense. the HG has visions of seeing deer that have more points on their antlers than there are stars in the night sky, while i prefer to daydream about sitting on a sun-soaked blanket surrounded by trees that are ever-so-gently shedding their bright coats of reds, yellows and oranges...while i read...*my Bible, of course*...and sip hot cider....and maybe play a song on my guitar about the beauty of the fall...and the bunnies and birds gather ‘round to join in.. hmm.
this year...not so much.
due to the effects of hurricane sandy, we’ve had nothing but rain for a week straight. the leaves have all released their grip on the trees and lay neatly piled by my dad’s meticulous landscaping effort on the edge of the woods. the trees stand stark and bare, allowing the chill of the air to rush through them without much resistance...the cider is already out of season and due to the limited luggage capacity of our car, the ukelele got packed instead of the guitar.
haven’t seen any bunnies yet either..though i did encounter a woodchuck (fancy-pants term: groundhog) yesterday while out in the woods. he was cute.
so my daydream remains a daydream.
however,
there is a constant in my annual trip home that never disappoints. it feeds my soul and belly. it awakes my senses and reminds me of the wonders that are found in every day life. and it is there any time i need it to replenish my weary being.
it is amish cheese.
yes. i’m writing about amish cheese today.
forget your land o’ lakes or boars’ head...they don’t even come close to comparison. this stuff is amazing! it’s just absolutely the creamiest cheese ever! it’s flavor packed, but not obnoxiously so. it’s, well....it’s what the cheese must be like in heaven. not sure if the amish pray over it or maybe they bless the cows or something...but there is art and beauty in that cheese.
my parents get it from some little amish grocery store off of some back road in the middle of nowhere...mild cheddar, swiss, american, white american, sharp cheddar, pepperjack....it’s incredible. and each year, i am grateful.
but what about...."wholly fit"?
oh man...
i’ve barely had any dairy in the past four weeks. i’ve made the switch to almond milk and have stopped putting cheese on any sandwiches or salads..ok, i did have some frozen yogurt, so i haven’t exactly quit cold turkey, but i’m trying to at least “curb” my dairy habits.
physical health is difficult to maintain on vacation, but i’d still like to fit in the anthropologie pants someday, so here’s how i’m doing:
i’ve actually still been working out each morning. i brought my p90x dvds which have been quite helpful in the midst of all of the rain, though it’s gets a little toasty exercising in the basement next to a wood-burning stove which heats the rest of the house. i’ve spent a lot of time out walking in the woods and even wore a pedometer when i went shopping with my best friend (& ended up walking over 3 miles!).
i’m continuing in my quest to actually make friends with “my fitness pal”, entering my exercise and diet each day into the app...and i realized something beautiful in the process:
i can eat the cheese.
i can’t eat all the cheese..but that’s ok. in life, we get small tastes of good things and instead of being grateful for those small things in healthy quantities, we tend to want more.
i used to work with someone who said that “life is like a buffet”.. we get excited about all the good stuff we see and pile it all on our plate. but if we pile on too much, everything starts to touch and mess up the individual flavors of what you’ve chosen. it makes it difficult to really enjoy anything.
when i think of all the tiny, every day wonders i miss out on because i’m searching after “more”, trying to pile “more” on my plate, i realize that i’m missing life.
God created this life to be full; full of flavor and beauty and meaning and wonder. John 10 says “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” the NLT version says “my purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
“a rich and satisfying life”
do you have that kind of life? or is there too much on your plate for you to taste the richness?
one thing i’m always reminded of in the country: less is more
think i’ll have today’s slice of cheese now, just to solidify this truth.
