Month: June 2018

We had a very different day than the one we planned last Tuesday.

I had planned to clean some bathrooms, work on a furniture refinishing project, clean the downstairs, and clean our bedroom. Bugs ‘n Plugs had planned to go to the dentist, get some gas, and go to work. All necessary and important things. Two things on the list happened: the dentist and the gas. A funny thing happened while Bugs ‘n Plugs was filling his tank. He looked around and realized it was a beautiful day. The sky was blue, the temperature was cool, and there was no rain in the forecast. He called work and said he’d be taking the rest of the day off because it was a nice day. So, he finished filling the gas tank and went to the grocery store to buy goodies we don’t usually buy. He came home and caught me just as I was getting ready to start cleaning. We decided we would have a picnic!

Now, I wish I could say we just jumped in the car and left but it wasn’t that simple. First, The Progeny and I had to get dressed. Then, because we had decided to take the dogs, we had to stop to pick up some new harnesses for them because our younger dog is a wild man and he needs a firm hold on him or he’ll run. Then, we made a second trip to the grocery store for cookies because… well, do you really need a reason to get cookies for a picnic?

So, an hour later we were finally on our way to the mountains. We are fortunate enough to live within an hour of the mountains, so we were there in no time and it was a beautiful drive all the way. It has rained almost every day for the last few weeks, so everything was lush and green, and the blue of the sky seemed even more so, maybe because it has been cloudy most of the time the last few weeks. Like when you’ve forgotten you still have your sunglasses on and you take them off and realize how colorful the world is.

We stopped at a few overlooks to see the view. And what a view! We could see for miles! We stopped at a picnic area and chose a spot that seemed ideal. But, it’s rained almost every day for the last few weeks, so bugs were everywhere! After Bugs ‘n Plugs had set up the dogs’ tethers and we had taken everything to the picnic tables, we decided it would be better to set up in the back of the minivan. So, we had a comfortable picnic in the back of the car. After we finished eating, we just sat. We live in a pretty quiet neighborhood, but there is almost always a sound of people, whether it be a passing car, or a plane, or air conditioning units roaring away. But as we sat in the car at the picnic area we could hear no human-produced sounds. We heard the wind moving through the trees, the birds chirping, and the bugs buzzing. That was it. Nothing more. It was unbelievably calming. Even our wild man younger dog lay down in the back of the car, put his head on his paws and watched the birds placidly. I don’t know how long we sat but it was refreshing. Being surrounded by natural sounds for however long it was felt like the cool breeze that follows a summer thunderstorm. It was refreshing and energizing. On the way home, we stopped at one more overlook where we climbed some rocks and enjoyed the sounds of wind moving through the trees.

…sometimes you just need to go to the mountains on a clear day and take in God’s creation to calm your mind.

Sometimes our lives get busy. We are so caught up in moving to the next activity, the next problem, the next adventure. It can be maddening to be running from sunup to sundown. But today, we pushed the pause button on life and just enjoyed our little family and the sights and sounds God provided in nature because sometimes you just need to go to the mountains on a clear day and take in God’s creation to calm your mind.

A backpack is such an insignificant, utilitarian item that it hardly warrants a second thought. If you have school-aged children you know when you buy one you’re lucky to get a full year’s use out of it before some mysterious as-yet-unnamed phase of matter appears at the bottom of it, spoiling the backpack and its contents. It’s hardly the type of item for which one might form an emotional attachment. But I have a backpack I have had and used for more than 20 years and it has followed me on many adventures.

Sometime during high school, my locker was broken into. It was a bad day. Fortunately, I kept my TI-82 graphing calculator with me at all times and I never had money in my locker so all I lost was a brand new super pack of gum and my very 90s drawstring backpack with plaid flaps that folded over the top and pockets… apparently so uncool the thief didn’t even want it and disposed of it unceremoniously in a hallway trashcan. The backpack may have been salvageable, but after its stay in the trashcan with who-knows-what, it was time for a new backpack. Mom was looking ahead to college and decided we would invest in a decent backpack, so that night we went to the Eddie Bauer store at the mall and bought one.

The Green Backpack is nothing fancy. It’s a hunter green canvas with a black bottom of some heavier canvas, it has a large main area with a double zipper that meets in the middle, a smaller outside zipper pocket for pencils and things, and an even smaller Velcro pocket for things you don’t mind getting wet if you go outside. It has padded shoulder straps and a padded back so the corner of your ten-pound history book doesn’t stab you in the back as you walk home from school. It wasn’t as girly as I might have hoped, but it did the job.

I finished high school with The Green Backpack. It collected a lot of intricately folded notes about boys and dances and Friday night plans and future dreams… there may also have been notes about literary genres, historical figures, science, and math. It held music and my piccolo. It held a lot of gum and mints. It bounced on my back on the way home on good days and sat, like an elephant, on my back on bad days. It was thrown into my lockers, thrown on buses, thrown in the backs of cars, and thrown on the floor of the kitchen. It experienced the highs and lows of a teenaged girl trying to navigate the final years of high school.. and childhood.

I made it through high school, and so did The Green Backpack. The college years were friendlier to both of us. A calmer mind made for calmer times and ambition to succeed as an adult made for gentler use of the tools to build that success. The Green Backpack collected a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness and many pamphlets handed to me in common areas of the university I was too polite to refuse but too set in my own ways to read. It hoarded any quarters that came my way. Its well-worn canvas served as a comfortable pillow in grassy areas on sunny spring days. Twice during college, it traveled to Europe with me. It saw the Eiffel Tower, The Alps, and Monaco, and it saw London, Bath, and Cardiff. It earned a lock during its international travels, one that still resides on its zipper because I’ve subsequently forgotten the combination. It carried foreign money and a passport in place of packs of gum and notes. It traveled on planes, trains, buses, and boats. The fabric had to stretch just a little to accommodate my expanding world.

After college, it was time to buy a grown-up bag for work. But field trips came and it became a handy bag in which to take the required forms, a first aid kit, and a lunch. It had hay in it from a trip to a farm and discarded ticket stubs and wrist bands from trips to theaters. The Green Backpack spent more time in the closet than out.

I became a mom. Of course, I got the diaper bag that coordinated with my nursery. But The Green Backpack made its way out for family trips when more than just the diaper bag would be needed. It went to amusement parks and tourist attractions and the beach. It got to go to Disneyland to carry the map, wipes, bottles of water, and sunscreen.

I’ve had The Green Backpack for more than 20 years now. The zipper doesn’t work as well as it used to… but neither do my knees. It’s not as firm as it once was… but neither are my abs. The fabric has expanded a little… but so have I (well, a lot). It doesn’t go out as much as it used to… but neither do I. And it doesn’t carry the same things it used to… but neither does my heart. The Green Backpack has grown with me and I’ll still keep it around for its utility, but I’d also like to see it continue its journey with me. A backpack is such an insignificant, utilitarian item that it hardly warrants a second thought… but sometimes when you give it a second thought, you might find some treasures in it.