Friday was a beautiful day! Warm, sunny, and hardly any wind, such a great blessing after weeks of windy, cold, and wet weather.
I had just gotten back from the post office with Christine, with a few minutes to prepare. “Prepare for what” you may be thinking (or not thinking). I am talking about preparing for an adventure of great proportions, intrigue, and full of wonder! Well… maybe it’s not that exciting, but it was for me! It was a trip to the beach with Megan, Christine, and Samuel.
Now you need to remember; it’s been cold and wet here, and I’m also a full-blooded Californian, so the beach was really appealing to me. We jumped on our bikes and road a few miles to the nice beach (different from the one that’s a 2 minute walk from our dorm). It was awesome! Christine and Megan goofed off in the freezing water, Samuel went around and took pictures, and I did the tedious task of keeping the blanket and gear secure… Ok, so I was laying on the blanket with my head propped up on the backpack listening to music and reading a book. I truly enjoyed myself.
After an hour or so, it began to get windy and cloudy, so we packed up and left on our bikes. We didn’t get more than five minutes away before my left pedal fell off! My first thought was, “I think I’m going to need that” (brilliant, I know). I looked at it for awhile, and found out how to fix it, yet lacked the tools to do it. Therefore, I called upon my great creativity and used my fingers to tighten the bolt. Then Megan offered to ride my bike while I rode a different bike, because she was lighter and probably wouldn’t knock the pedal off as easy. Unfortunately, my fingers lack the capacity to tighten bolts to the fullest extent and the pedal fell off again a few minutes later. So I once again called upon my ingenuity and creativity and used two keys to tighten the stubborn bolt! That also didn’t work too well… I had to put the pedal back on at least three times on the way back home. However, we DID get home, and that’s what is important. We also had a good time, even though the pedal wanted to stay at the beach and not on my bike.
I guess God was trying to teach me that even though little (or big) things happen in life that may get me down; I shouldn’t dwell on them and forget the many blessings I’ve had. When you look at the glass that is half full, remember the taste and blessing of drinking the first half, and be glad you still have a whole half of a cup left to drink!
Shawn Searle
Kinmen Island
