It is a deck morning. I can sit outside on the deck/patio to read, drink coffee, and talk with God. I miss being able to do this during the winter months and so treasure it anew when spring rolls around. The yard is turning green and blooming. Birds are industriously building new homes.
Well, at least most of the birds are doing that. As I am reading and listening, I keep hearing a “thud”. It is that robin again. Or still as the case may be.
For the past several days, this robin has been trying and trying to get into the basement through one of the big garden windows. The window isn’t even very clean so the crystal clear problem doesn’t exist. If I walk over that direction, it will fly off only to return and continue its pursuit of the impossible – the pursuit of not-going-to-happen.
I am puzzled by the single-mindedness. The robin appears to have lost all focus as to what the rest of the birds are doing: building nests. It isn’t even trying to take nest-building materials into the basement. What does it see there that so controls and dominates? Why does it believe that the next shot will get it through?
The old definition of insanity as doing the same thing and expecting different results comes to mind. And unfortunately, the robin is a reminder of many of my “basement window” behaviors. Some of them are mindless and thoughtless, like believing I can lose weight while still eating just a little chocolate donut and watching TV. Some of the behaviors are more deliberate but just as destructive like believing that I can change other people through the sheer force of my personality and having just the right words with just the right music. For some folks the basement windows are extremely destructive, like believing that this time the six-pack won’t create a raving drunk.
When it doesn’t work, maybe it’s time to do something different and move on. Being stuck by the basement window doesn’t get nests built or allow experiencing new opportunities.
I need to reflect on what basement windows I am beating myself against. And why. But mostly I need God’s wisdom and guidance to move away from those behaviors to something better and different.
What are your basement windows?
Just Sayin' 
Settling for a mediocre devotional life & lamenting how much less useful to God that makes me.
Sorry to say.
😦
hmm, interesting probably complaining about how tired and worn out I am and in the same breath saying “yes” to something else I don’t really need to do.