Friday, July 7, 2017

Just Get The Bottle Of Water

Instinct to Me.... "Go ahead and get a bottle of water to take along for the ride."

Me to Instinct.... "I just put an ice cold can of A&W Root Beer in my truck I just opened. Do you really think I want water?! I don't want the water and really probably won't even drink it because I don't even like plain water."

Instinct to Me... "Just get the bottle of water."

Me to Instinct... "Well, it is not like it will go sour. Whatever...." Rolls eyes. Huff and puffs like a four year old. Opens refrigerator and gets the bottle of water.
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Yes, it is time to openly admit I can carry on full conversations with myself. I debate myself. We disagree on things a lot. I usually second guess what my gut instinct says to me. But yet, I have learned to give in and listen to that still small voice because usually "it" knows more than I do. Guess you could say listening and obeying comes easier with getting older... or maybe even wiser. If I would have listened more frequently over the years, looking back over my 41 years, I think many things in my life would have happened very differently. 

The morning of July 6, 2017, I had to take a road trip out of town to meet with a potential client about her upcoming event. We met to look at the venue and discuss the different types of balloon and other decor she wanted to have at her special event. (ps.... If you are just stumbling across my blog as a stranger who doesn't know a thing about me... First of all welcome and thanks for stopping by. I am a Certified Balloon Artist who owns a formal wear shop who also does event planning and decorating.)

I needed to get a "visual" of the floor plan down on paper so I could see if what she had in mind for me to create would work in the space of the building. Plus I wanted to meet her in person instead of phone calls and Facebook messages. I guess you can say I am still a little old fashioned in my business ways. All this new technology and social media makes it less personal. I would rather have a face-to-face meeting or a phone conversation.

I came in and worked at the shop til about 12:15. I printed out all 32 pages of the ideas she had and some I had prepared as well so we could compare notes. These were placed in a binder on the corner of my counter so I would "not" forget them. I am still working on my "forgetter" instinct by the way... Went to the back room and decided to grab an ice cold A&W Root Beer out of the fridge. I wrote a note to place on the front door of the shop explaining why I was temporarily out of the shop. Walked right by the important binder. Grabbed the note to place on the door. Put the note on the door. Locked the door. Got into my truck. Realized I had left the binder inside. Got out of truck. Went back inside. Grabbed binder. Realized since no one would be at the shop, I might as well bump the thermostat up so it would not be running all day long with no one here. So to the back of the shop I went, one more time.

I need to pause the story so I can brag on myself a minute because I am proud of me and my major accomplishment! If you know me, you know I am (was) a Coca-Cola addict. Every single time you saw me with something in my hand there's a 99.9% chance it was a 20 oz Coca-Cola bottle. The other .1% of the time was sweet tea. I do not really like bottle water. I can drink tap from my faucet at home from my deep well in the country. Unflavored, bottled water is just nasty. I guess it is an acquired taste because no two bottled brands of water tastes the same. I decided twelve days ago to cut off the Cokes. Plain and simple. Cold turkey. No looking back. I also kicked my morning cup of coffee habit out the window the same morning. I have been replacing the Cokes with Country Time Lemonade, sweet tea, Gatorade, and A&W Root Beer. Amazingly, I have done very well with this abrupt change. Back to the story...

As I rounded the corner to turn the lights off after cutting the air off, I heard that still small voice speak up like she does when it knows of something ahead that you really don't know is about to unfold. So our debate of getting a simple bottle of water began. 

Instinct to Me.... "Go ahead and get a bottle of water to take along for the ride."

Me to Instinct.... "I just put an ice cold can of A&W Root Beer in my truck I just opened. Do you really think I want water?! I don't want the water and really probably won't even drink it because I don't even like plain water."

Instinct to Me... "Just get the bottle of water."

Me to Instinct... "Well, it is not like it will go sour. Whatever...." Rolls eyes. Huff and puffs like a four year old. Opens refrigerator and gets the bottle of water.

As I grabbed the bottled water, I took one with a little ice in it. I mean I was even rolling my eyes as I shut the door because I knew I did not have any lemonade mix so I would not be drinking it. Then I walked back up front. Grabbed the forgotten binder. Locked the door. Got in truck, Threw the cold bottle of water in the passenger seat. Then proudly took a gulp of my cold A&W as the road trip began.

You know you can't have a relevant conversation without talking about the weather. I live kinda in the middle of southeastern Georgia. It is July. It is summer. We are experiencing good ole hawttttt weather. Like a post I actually posted today of a meme I had found on a friend's page "Y'all pray for The South. Ain't nothin' wrong with it, it's just about 5 degrees shy of Satan's kitchen." That is a sermon all in itself. Today at 12:45 it was around 93 degrees BUT when you factor in the humidity of the south, the AccuWeather "RealFeel" temperature said it was 103 degrees.... I want to move to Alaska for other reasons besides rattle snakes. 

I am finally riding in this hot weather, with a bottle of cold water I won't drink and my A&W. I get a few miles out of town when I see a truck broken down on the side of the road. The hood is raised. As I am passing by, I noticed an old man who had to be in his late 70's standing beside the road in this unbearable heat. I am not one who notices the color of a person's skin. What I noticed was an old man who may or may not have a cell phone to call for help stranded in the hot sun in the 103 degree weather. I didn't know if he had help on the way or not, but I pulled off on a dirt road to text one of my law enforcement friends to see if he was on duty. Today was his day off. I explained the situation and told him I was going back to make sure the man was okay health wise and to let him use my phone if he needed it. I would have waited with him so he could sit in the cold air til help got there if he wanted me to.  That's just me. I saw a person who needed help and I acted on it.

After I got done with the texting, I laid my phone down. Put my truck in reverse. Looked to my left to do a traffic check. All clear. Looked out the passenger window to do a traffic check. All clear. But as soon as I glanced down at the passenger seat and saw that cold bottle of water, I'll admit I did tear up a whole bunch as I kinda exhaled back into my seat.  I then took the time to look up to heaven out of my driver window and verbally said "So I guess now I know why you made me get that coldest bottle of Dasani water out of the fridge. You knew this man would be out here and he needed this because of his circumstances. Thank you!"

I proceeded to check traffic again. Proudly pulled out onto the highway and backtracked to the old man. As I was getting closer to the vehicle is when I noticed the wheelchair in the back of the truck. The tailgate was not on the truck or either it was let down. When I saw the person coming from the other side, I noticed he had on different clothes and was about 20 years younger. I was like I know I saw an old man earlier,  guess I need glasses! That happens when you hit 40 by the way...

So as I pulled up and let the window down, I noticed the old man was sitting in the passenger seat now. Maybe I don't need glasses after all! I greeted what appeared to be the son of the gentleman. He was in his 50's. I asked if he had a phone to call help or did he need to use mine. He had already called for help and they were on the way. I asked if Papa was okay. Yes he was good. I asked I'd they needed anything. No ma'am, we are good til they get here. Then I reached over into the passenger seat and grabbed that bottle of water and basically said "Here this is for y'all." I offered it to him as I explained that it was a new bottle of cold water in hadn't even cracked the seal on it yet. He said "yes, I'll take that. Thank you and God bless you." I told him he was very welcome and hoped everything was okay.

He didn't know God and I had argued about that bottle of water. I didn't know I would be meeting a need of quenching someone else's thirst on the side of the road who had been standing out in the heat while his truck was broken down. But God did. God knows what is before us and what will be along our path. He looks after the sparrow and He looks after His own in the same ways. Even if He has to send a complete stranger along the way to supply the need. Sure I couldn't help with truck repairs, but I was able to provide a bottle of water. I know I have been stranded before on the side of the road with a flat tire, in the heat, and would have given anything for a bottle of water. 

I have always been one who says "trust your gut" or listen to "that still small voice". I truly believe it is God speaking to us and giving us guidance in our lives. All we have to do is trust in Him and obey. We would be surprised more often than not if we heeded to that voice how much better our lives would be. It is all about faith and trusting He will lead us and guide us along the path we call life. He will supply all of our needs no matter how great or how small.

In hindsight, how long would it have been until they got something cold to drink had I not listened and obeyed and happened to have a bottle of water with me!
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Luke 12:24 
"Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest, they don't have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds"

Psalm 107:9
"For He satisfies the thirsty"




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