Searching for Strawberries

This was originally supposed to be my entry for Thursday, but of course as fate would pay her cards the Blogger site has not been functioning. So please just humor me and pretend that it is Thursday again:

It’s strange the times that God decides to reveal things to us. Such was the case this morning as I stewed over my bowl of Cheerios.

I had originally set my alarm for 5:00 AM to allot myself some extra time to study for Peds class at 10:00 AM. Yet as is my new habit, I rolled over, turned the alarm off, and went right back to sleep for about another hour and a half. At 6:30 AM my inner self served as a gentle reminder that this day had a lot in store for me and I could not begin my extensive to-do list if I never got out of bed. Flinging back the covers I stumbled out of bed and across the room, fumbling around for my glasses and textbook. For the next hour I soaked in the necessary information on hematologic disorders in children. Once I had finished the reading I was struck with the realization that if I wanted some breakfast I’d better get to it pronto because the cafeteria was going to close in about a half hour. Of course, this being Tennessee, and the beginnings of spring, it was pouring, literally. Sloshing my way to the cafeteria I was not unexpectedly surprised to see they were serving waffles, being that it is waffle Thursday. Thus I opted for some Cheerios and fresh strawberries.

After returning to the dorm I settled into a comfy chair and emptied the prepackaged cartons of cereal into my plastic Dollar Tree bowl and proceeded to dump the strawberries on top. After adding some milk I then decided that it might be best to just mix the strawberries into the floating O’s. Then in the next moment I dug amongst the Cheerios with my spoon looking for the strawberries, which totally defeats the purpose of mixing them in. If I wanted to have then at my immediate disposal I should have just left them on top as was my initial plan.

Nevertheless, as I was sitting there digging for sweets I had a silly sort of epiphany. A part of me seemed to say, “You always do this. You’re always searching for the sweet things in life, the things you desire, while in the meantime you overlook all the other blessings of this life.”

I never seem to be satisfied with what is happening in my life. Tis truly one of my worst faults. There is so much to be thankful for and yet my glass is always half empty, or should I say bowl? For instance, I am starting a new job. I have many friends who are scratching and clawing for a job opportunity like this. I just finished arranging the initiation of my health benefits that come as a perk with my job at Memorial. They are even offering me free life insurance and a free dental plan. I could continue on and on with this list, but point being is that despite all the good I still see the shadows, the things that I don’t have yet. I’m still single, my health is going down the tubes, I’m overworked and underpaid, stressed about this class and that project and on and on.

Whatever happened to savoring those delicious blessings, whether buried under the Cheerios or floating on the surface?

Yet every once in a while something really cool happens. You’re fishing around as I was, and think that you’ve got the last one when suddenly as you raise the spoon to your lips you’re kicked in the mouth with the surprising sweetness of one more strawberry that you were sure was not there to begin with.

Thus, to continue with my analogy, such are the ways of God. He never leaves your bowl empty, and just when you think that you’ve received your fair share of sweetness, He leaves you speechless and satisfied. Consequently, I think the next time my breakfast menu consists of cereal and fruit, I might just blindfold myself. I might just enjoy the surprises as they come. I might just wait things out and see what God has hiding under the Cheerios and milk. I might just stop searching for strawberries.