A Place to Rest © 2008 Bo Mackison

I am prepared for the craziness that will soon descend on my typically quiet home. Usually there are only two of us to make a mess, take a shower, fix a meal, get a little out of sorts. Today and tomorrow there will be 16 people, adults and teenagers, filling every nook and sleeping in every corner. I’m hoping there is no last minute clothing emergency because the washing machine was pronounced dead by the Maytag man on Monday, and a new one can’t be delivered until next week.

This photo is my solution if there are any situations that may require a time-out. I took this photo earlier this summer in northern Wisconsin, and it always brings back memories of nearly colllapsing in one of those blessed chairs after hiking for many hours. I was hot and tired and maybe – just maybe – a little cranky. But I leaned back in the chair, solid and comfortable, closed my eyes, and just rested for a while. Just relaxed in my own little space.

Gradually, I noticed a graceful breeze, brushing over me ever so gently, cooling away the hot stickiness. The sun tucked itself behind a few wandering clouds and provided a brief respite. I heard a few birds chattering in the branches above me, and grasshoppers were doing their thing in the tall grasses. It was only a short stop, maybe fifteen minutes, but it re-vitalized me in those few moments.

So if I need a time-out over the next few days, I know exactly where I’m heading. These chairs will be waiting for me, tucked in a cranny in my mind. And if I really get desperate and I need a visual reminder, I’ll pop open the computer, and just tell everyone I’m going to check my blog stats.

What’s that you say? I cannot check my stats in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner?

Hmmmmm.

Then maybe it would be better if I take a peek while everyone else is doing the dishes…