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SWAIM SCHOOL FOR BETTER LIVING: The Gift of Inconvenience

I have a friend named Bret who is an amateur philosopher of sorts.  Amateur in the sense of no one pays him for his originality and approach to life.

I remember Bret telling me once that he prayed that his daughter would experience inconvenience.  Strange prayer I thought at the time.  Why would you wish inconvenience on anyone?  What is wrong with my friend? That was the real question!

These past few weeks, OK really about 5, I have been exposed to inconvenience in a whole new way.  Hopefully you have been too.

Contrary to the “tragedy”  of  “endless” snow fall, “impassable” roads, uncollected garbage, possible power outages, runs on bottled water at our grocery stores, and “states of emergency” mostly have been inconveniences.  We have to add steps and energy to everything we do, sometimes without the energy to finish the extra steps.  We are all already stretched too far.  Or can we stretch some more?  We really have had no choice but to stretch further.   This has produced some unexpected results.  For example,  I now know more of my neighbors.  Wow, an upside to inconvenience.  I have given rides to strangers, pulled strangers from snow banks, had them pull me from snow banks…, the list goes on.  In the midst of all the “extras” we have learned to pull closer together and will ultimately be a better community for it.

This inconvenience stuff  has become a great excuse to reach out. And the reaching out has been where the unexpected joy is.  KEEP REACHING, spring will come eventually and heck, who knows what inconveniences we might need to band together for next.

 Our family was invited to another family’s home the other evening for Nacho’s and a viewing of Nacho Libre  (If you haven’t seen this film, do).  Guess what?  They served guacamole made with locally purchased (obviously not grown) avocados.  AVOCADOS?! It is winter in Idaho, and miraculously we are eating avocados. Are you kidding me?  How in the heck are we enjoying  avocados?  Interstate 84 has been closed plenty.  How are we eating avocados? I had been so preoccupied by inconvenience that I was losing perspective.  That avocado snapped me back to reality.

 So friends, if you begin to loose perspective, go buy some avocados.  That will do the trick every time.

 Life is still good.

 Cheers

ks

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