Reflections 1/21/2020: Yesterday I got fed up with  laying around the house, groaning about my bellyache, so I bundled up, put on “boots made for walkin’” and forced myself into the mainstream of life! Little did I know how mainstream I this walk would be! Let’s see, almost immediately I ran into an old friend who was taking her rescue dog, Charlie, out for a walk. We talked about his strange bouts of aggression and I was able to love on him, hopefully to encourage him to see people as friends, not foes. I took the route to the horse corral and saw Sun, a mustang who had just been introduced to a new pasture of hierarchy-protective horses and he was hiding in the farthest corner possible, all by himself. He perked up when I called his name and reminded him he was loved and would find his place in the herd over time. Then I ran into a friend leading her aged horse, Cadeau, tenderly around since Cadeau had just lost the sight in her 2nd eye, was now totally blind, and was fearful of everything! We talked about how hard it is to make decisions about end of life for our friends and I promised to pray for wisdom for her in the days to come. It happened to be feeding time at the barn and I was able to open the gate to let the Mexican workers drive their tractor pulling the hay cart into the horse pasture without having to stop, get off the cart and open and close the gate… a necessary annoyance when it must be done 6 times every feeding! A little thing but I got a big smile from Lorenzo! Venturing homeward, I was  descending a hill when two kids, probably a brother and sister, approached on their bikes. The boy pedaled easily up the hill on his nice mountain bike, but the girl, on her pink Schwinn, had lost momentum and was flailing to ascend the hill (under the ridicule of her brother). Assessing the situation and deciding being intrusive was worth the risk, I offered to give her a push up the hill until she got her momentum back. Surprisingly she accepted my offer and off she went, throwing back a huge “thank you!” God, how much better was this mainstream of life opportunities to show kindness than groaning at home! Thank You for re-teaching me that everyday mundane encounters can become magic moments of conveying care for others along our path. Since “attentive” is my word for 2020, I guess I got a chance to take it out for a spin yesterday!