Today I decide to be

As vacation comes to a close, I anticipate the transition. Maybe that is why I woke up at 4:30 a.m. Nonetheless, I was ready to face the day, so I got up and fixed my cup of coffee in the new mug we bought at the farmer’s market. I changed it up this morning and walked to the water. Yes, Roberta, in my P.J.s (a work joke between us). Coffee, plastic bag for shells, phone to take pictures and listen to motivational readings, and shhhhh, no bra. Just needed to get out while the getting was good, and I didn’t want to wake anyone.

Oh, what a lovely walk. The sun rising, the early fishermen in boats and on piers, the dedicated walkers and runners, and families walking their beloved pets. The town was so quiet, making it look and feel different. The line in a journal I bought for Valentina motivated me to just go: “Today I decide to be…”

For me, I wanted to be adventurous and let the Spirit lead. Change things up, take a new path, and get up and out. In my readings, two words came up about communication and interactions with others–“dignity and grace.” How can I give this in a conversation, and how can I show up already receiving dignity and grace for myself?

As I walked, it seemed God was showering me with the dignity to explore and be “Anna”–the woman He created me to be, and the grace to let go of all the worries running through my mind.

I’ll share some pictures below.

Timing is always a mystery to me. The moment I decided to take a walk, the direction I took, the places I stopped, and the decision to leave my readings and be still and reflective. This led me to the coffee shop that opened at 7:00 a.m. Right on the nose, I was there. When I showed up, two young ladies working their shift panicked because their sink pipe was bursting water up and out in all directions. The floor was quickly filling up with water, and so was the coffee shop with customers. I took my flip-flops off, went through the employee’s only sign door, and knelt on the floor to help them turn off the water. They could not figure it out, and I’ve been here enough times to know it’s one of those knobs and “righty tighty, lefty loosey.” The first knob was the ability to turn off the hot water, then the one in the far back was the ability to shut off all water. When the water stopped spewing like a geyser, they cheered! Meanwhile, I stood up soaking wet and laughed. “I didn’t know I would be in a wet t-shirt contest today!” They laughed and gave me one of their employee t-shirts.

Today and all tomorrows, I decide to listen to the Spirit’s leading, notice and be kind, and lend a hand when you can. Stop striving, controlling, fixing, and doing. Just be. And, in the being, ask God to fill me with His love, dignity, and grace.