Sunday, June 18, 2006

A Three Pipe Problem


Mysteries of life are not easily explained. One day, at the end of time, I hope that they will unravel themselves. I love mysteries, but only ones that can be solved. I like to know the ending of a good mystery. I’m not a big fan of Unsolved Mysteries. I shall pose a problem, which I am sure many of you have experienced and wondered at the mysteriousness of the phenomenon.

Have you ever shopped endlessly for clothing or gifts to no avail, but one unexpected day, favor shines down upon you, and you find the perfect things for incredible deals?

Have you ever lived weeks in boring nothingness, when suddenly four events converge on the same weekend forcing you to choose one or maybe two of the events only?

Why do things always happen this way: Feast or Famine?

When it rains, it pours!

It feels as if this is beyond one’s control. The Bible says that there are seasons and times for everything. Would that word refer to this phenomenon? We can exhaust ourselves trying to make things happen out of season. There is also something to be said about being perseverant.

I’m not much of a shopper, but I can compare this phenomenon to shopping. There are days when I go out looking for something, I go to several places, I find nothing, my feet hurt, my back hurts, I’m frustrated, and I feel like I have just completely wasted my time. It’s as if some unseen force has been against me. Other times I go out and every place I go I find exactly what I want, quickly, and in my price range.

I also have experienced the loss of realizing if I just would have looked a little longer and harder I would have found something really cool. I have experienced this while shopping with friends and they find something incredible in a place I gave up looking.


It’s like luck, or favor just builds up and builds up before/until it bubbles over. Maybe that is what pressed down, shaken together, running over means. We just don’t notice the blessing until it runs over. Maybe it’s because room must be made for the blessing before it comes: The ache of boredom and loneliness before the blessing of friends and fun, the frustration of searching to embrace the finding.

Elementary, my dear?

3 comments:

Colleen said...

So true. I have even experienced this when more than one guy is interested & I have pick between the them, or nothing... for a long time. Sometimes the good or bad season lasts a couple hours, sometimes a couple years. You can never expect what may be around the corner. It is good to know that just when you're ready to say "Enough! I can't take any more!", the season changes. I hope yesterday was a treasure day for you. :)

Jeff said...

For me, it always seems that the harder I push, the dryer the desert!!

You know, in the fall, at the age of 19, I had had it with women! I was never shy when it came to pursuing the ladies, but I had recently walked away from another relationship where I had waisted alot of time and money...again.

I swore to myself I would never pursue another woman until she showed intrest in me first. I was basically throwing up my hands and walking away!

Just a few weeks after making this pact with myself and putting the pursuits to rest, the cutest, hottest little brunnet at work, with big brown eyes started fluttering her big, beautiful eye's lashes at me. Was this showing interest in me first? Indeed it was. That was 15 years ago ;)

Stephenie said...

wow,it's so interesting to hear people's stories. i may choose to interview you for the book i will no doubt write in the future on relationships. :)

try harder, make less progress. that is a mystery. it slightly reminds me of quicksand.