Two weeks ago on vacation I got some water in my ear. No matter what I did, I could not get it to come out. Over a couple days, it would feel like the pressure was lightening up, but then the next morning it would feel packed again, and I would spend the rest of the day doing that annoying kind of loud talk like people wearing ear buds. I would also catch myself in public, plugging my nose, trying to blow my brains out from the inside. I tried everything I could think of to get the ear to clear. By this week, I was ready to go after it with a screw driver.
My doctor’s office has walk-ins available each morning beginning at 7:30. This morning I caved. I got up, ran with my wife, and then without showering went to the doctor’s office to see if they could flush this thing out. Now, I understand triage, and I get that the person who presents with a fever and chills trumps the one who has water in his ear. However, what that meant for me was that I left the office 2 hours later.
My ear was clear; that was good. However, it also meant I only had 15 minutes to make my next appointment. Still hadn’t showered. I arrived on time, but discovered upon arrival that, although I had all the supporting documentation I needed, I had not completed the actual form that all the supporting documentation supported. I completed the form in front of a very patient woman, however, because of that mishap, I found myself with only ten minutes to pick up my kids and get them dropped off. Still no shower.
Got the kids where they needed to be, but by the time I got home, I had 10 minutes to shower and get to a meeting 20 minutes away. Late, but clean.
After that meeting, I was trying to get back to the church to get ready for worship, but needed to stop at the pharmacy to drop off a prescription. No appointment/meeting yet included a meal, so I figured I would grab some trail mix and something to drink on my way out. However, as I got in line to pay, I found myself behind the person who actually does ALL their shopping at Walgreen’s. Really? Who buys bread at Walgreen’s? 11 rolls of paper towels. 11! Not a pack of 11 rolls. 11 rolls! Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip. Blip. 11 blips on the scanner. 11!
And if this wasn’t bad enough, not only is Coke telling me to share all the time, but today I was told to share with his guy!
Seriously? How the Hell am I supposed to do that?
***
Let me tell you something about you. (I’m projecting, because we’ve all had days like this.) You’re too damn busy. You run and run and run, and you do it so much, you forget why.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) When was the last time that happened? When was the last time you were still and knew anything?
Living a busy life is easy. Living a life of purpose requires margin, space to reflect, plan, and to be intentional about what you hope to accomplish. That’s not easy. Necessary, but not easy.
Space. Stillness. May you find time for these in your days. And if you see George Michael, tell him to chunk rocks. I drank his Diet Coke.
Patrick Day 
Thanks Patrick. I needed to hear that today. Was it an ear infection?
Thanks, Patrick. Now I have THAT SONG stuck in MY ear. Ha. Great piece. Funny but also instructive.
Just curious here, but was this a preclude to Wednesday evening or is this the sequel? Either way I always enjoy when you expand on your Wednesday topic. Maybe I need to start checking my email at 6:45 PM on Wednesday evenings to get an idea of what to expect. Regarding the water stuck in the ear …. man I hate it when that happens. I have found that if I tilt my head with the offending ear pointed to the ground, pull on the lobe to open the canal and then use a hair dryer to blow hot air that it often resolves the problem.