A Reminder From a Surprised Deer

   Walking along the path quietly this morning, just thinking about the days ahead, nothing profound, just some thoughts about where we were going, what we were going to do, who we would see, and how the weekend looked from the vantage point of 2 days away.

   There was a prison to go into and an inmate to visit. There were a couple of courthouses to add to our photographic collection. Nothing dramatic, but I just was thinking about how those things would go and what our time would look like.

   I don't know where this animal came from. I surely had not seen him before I heard him (or her), but all of a sudden there was a clatter of hoofbeats on the path behind me. A deer skidded to a stop not 10 feet back, and, I guess, two hearts skipped beats at the sudden realization of a close encounter.

   My mind went from a slow idle to a full alert in a second, and his did too, I guess, as he recovered from his shock, dashed across the street and crashed into the woods where there was not even a path for him. His morning activities had been altered and mine too.

   I thought how quickly things can change. I can make plans, both short term and long, but in the instant of an email, a phone call, a rock on a beach, or even hoofbeats on a concrete cart path, they can all change.

   I know I do need to plan for things, but maybe I should just be more like my friend who says:

   "At my age I don't even buy green bananas"

   There is a verse in James, chapter 4, that says (The Message):

" And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing."

   I need to be less dogmatic about any plans I make, and I've got to remember those green bananas.