Category Archives: Country Ripples

Lately my knees and ankles are taking turns reminding me they are there. On a pain scale it’s not much, maybe a 3. But there are days my complaining joints lead me to wonder how much longer I’ll be able to do what I need or want to do.

So it was today. My right knee sent out unhappy signals as I propelled the shopping cart to the car. I wondered how much longer I’ll be able to do the tasks of everyday living.

As I started to drive out of the parking lot, I saw a cart someone had left by a curb. It was one of those grocery carts which has a buggy for young children attached. The cart was in a lane used by drivers to turn into an exit.

For some reason, seeing the cart there irked me. I was going to let it there but I thought, “No, I’m going to move it out of the way.” So I parked the car and grabbed the buggy. The buggy corral was some distance away, and I knew my knee would complain, but I wanted to do it, so I took the wayward buggy back. You know what? While I was doing it, I didn’t feel any pain. My guess is the adrenaline from my anger cancelled out the pain sensations. 

I took at least three lessons from this little episode:

1. Pain doesn’t keep me from caring about something enough to take some sort of action to alleviate it. I can still do something.
2. Adrenaline from anger is enough to stop pain, at least temporarily. (I’m sure a doctor could have told me this a long time ago).
3. Anger has its place. Anger can be an expression of caring, but we have to be careful that the expression doesn’t make things worse.

I’m not advocating getting angry to stop pain–I’m just writing this as kind of an expression of wonderment as to how our bodies (or my body, anyway) works.

©P. Booher

1. A friend from church graciously gave her time to help me find clothes suitable for office work. (Most of the clothes I had were for retail work, ie., more casual).
2. The church I attend has a clothing ministry. With the help of my friend I found some nice clothes to wear at the ministry building. I wore one outfit to an interview, and enjoyed wearing it. The clothes were free–as in–didn’t cost me anything! God provided.
3. Watching a wild rabbit in our front yard. This rabbit is extraordinarily brave. Most wild rabbits spook quickly. Not this one. We can sit on the front porch just a few feet away, talking quietly and watching him munch on grass and weeds. Sometimes he (or she) stops to scratch. Occasionally the bunny stretches full length on his belly on the grass, perhaps to cool off, something I didn’t know bunnies do. One reason for the bunny’s bravery may be the thick cover close by. The peony bush is there and since I haven’t trimmed the grass underneath lately, he can hide. You wouldn’t be able to spot him easily. The hosta plants are also near and are spreading out nicely and make even better protection than the peony bush. So the bunny knows there are good hiding places just a few feet away.
4. Opportunities to gain new skills. This summer I did proofreading for Inspire Writers 2022 Anthology, and I also proofread some material for an author in the local area. I gained some more experience in using reviewing/editing software, as well as the satisfaction of helping other writers produce the best work they could.
5. Spending time sketching, a newer hobby for me, although I’ve had the workbook, pencils, and other materials for a long time. As I wrote in “Friday “Walks”–God’s Gift of Creativity”, sketching is a wonderful stress reliever.
6. Prayers of friends as I look for a job. As a writer and now, a job-seeker, I find similarities between the two. Both the writer seeking publication and the job hunter seeking a job need determination and resilience. Neither endeavor is as easy as it seems to those on the outside.

©P. Booher

What I am enjoying these days:

1. sensing God’s Presence in church and being in awe
2. His Voice bringing comfort to me and giving me insight into His heart
3. hearing the song of a thrush while I rake grass
4. the scent of rain in the air
5. having the window open and hearing the gentle patter of rain on leaves
6. new opportunities to learn more, do more, contribute more
7. being able to have the window open and feeling warm breezes
8. big, beautiful, pink peony blooms which I can bring inside and put in vases
9. being able to go outside without heavy coats and boots
10. the sight of the begonias in the bed—my mother and I moved them from their “winter home” upstairs to their “summer vacation” outside. We agree the red begonias accent the grey bricks nicely.
11. more blessings under the category of things which could have happened, but didn’t: Today I had a flat tire. I was irritated, but realized a couple blessings. The big one was that the flat happened while I was in my own driveway; I was not driving down the road at 50 miles per hour. Had it occurred a few minutes later I would have been on the road. The afternoon was sunny and pleasant, not pouring down rain as it was yesterday. The AAA man who changed the tire patiently answered my questions regarding the temporary tire.
12. iced tea with a slice of lemon
13. sitting on the porch reading
14. having shelter to be out of the rain
15. anticipation of more blessings, more pleasurable happenings, more spiritual victories

©P. Booher