The Dragon and the Stop Signs

The warmth in my tea mug barely exists.  I stepped away too long from the heat of my Tazo cinnamon sweet spice tea in my over-sized Caribbean Sea mug.

Did you ever get caught up in active thought and social media? The seconds tick on without the thought of a minute, and before my first agenda item, which was to check the news, I ended up sending 3 emails, checking Etsy for artwork, googling our Facebook name, and a few other things I can't even remember.  Before I knew it, my tea had the warmth sucked out of it and I didn't even check the news, which was my reason for picking up my phone and standing in one place with poor posture to get all of that "accomplished."

I'll tap into a little story that David told us on the way to viola group class.  The kids were taking turns making up stories.  His went like this, "Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a dragon, and he was spitting out stops signs, and there was a stop sign, and another stop sign, and another stop sign, and another stop sign, and another stop sign, And then he went around and ate up all the stop signs. The end." We all cracked up laughing.

Could I possibly glean some truth from this little story? With a spinning mind and resources at my fingertips, it is very easy to get many things done but not-great things accomplished.  Self care needs to be my main priority and instead of stop signs I am giving myself green lights.  You have energy now, go on! Keep searching for that oil that will prevent grinding teeth and the ones for varicose veins for your friend.  If you were up on the international news, maybe it would help relate to others.  Hey, what about that spot over the couch where there needs to be art? And didn't so and so want you to send them a link to that YouTube video? Stop!

There comes a point where we need a little dragon or guardian angel to spit out some stop signs along our way.

I appreciate Solomon's gift of wisdom:

²² What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? ²³ For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? ²⁶ For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. Ecclesiastes 2:22-26

What does "stop" mean to you? Join me in a cup of hot tea, and tell me all about it.