I seem to be struggling with shoes recently. From broken to poorly chosen to missing altogether, I just can’t get myself (or the kids) appropriately prepared to safely navigate the day’s activities.

About a week ago, in our usual state of Hartwell Family April Spring Sports Madness, Scott took one kid to practice and I took the other to the grocery. They had been playing at the neighbor’s house, so I drove down the street to grab Ben and whisk him away to Target to grab a few things before dinner. Knowing they had been playing in the sprinklers and wading pool, I brought him a dry set of clothes, I rushed him into the car and started driving off while the poor child was still mostly naked in the back seat. We pulled into a parking spot and as I was getting out of the car, I was stunned to discover that the boy had no shoes on! “Where are your shoes?!?” “At Jack’s house.” You. Have. To. Be. Kidding. So I sat him down on the bench outside of Target, said, “Don’t move!” and I ran in and bought him a cheap pair of flip-flops. Ridiculous. How did I miss that the boy was barefoot leaving his buddy’s house?!?

Earlier this week, I had a few meetings on campus, so I took the opportunity to actually shave my legs and put on some make up and wear something besides scrubs. I chose some nice dress slacks and a bright top and some cute little peep toe heels. It was delightful to wear real clothes for a day, until I made it to my daughter’s soccer game (albeit an hour late because of an accident on the highway) and stepped out of the car onto the …gravel parking lot…and then had to tip toe through the overgrown grass so my heels wouldn’t sink in, across two other fields, to the sidelines of Allie’s game. “You look nice,” my family told me, “but the heels…?”

And finally, yesterday, a week into our marathon training plan, it’s a cross-training day, so I headed to the gym to ride the bike, only to look down and notice a spot of white peeking through the grey mesh of my running shoes…a hole. Seriously. What is the deal with me and shoes this month?

All of this has made me think about just what the heck am I so busy, so distracted, so pre-occupied with that I can’t think beyond the very moment that I am in; that I can’t prepare for what lies ahead; that I can’t even ensure my kids have shoes on their feet? I am running around, crossing things off my to-do list like a boss; I am making meals and getting presents for kids’ birthdays; hitting the grocery and Target and making it to practices and games. I am so busy in the details (get dressed up for the meeting), that I am missing the big picture (Allie’s last soccer game tonight). And yet, ironically, I am so busy with the big picture (pick up the kids and get dinner ready) that I am missing the details (my kid isn’t wearing shoes!). I’m running around, multi-tasking (more like multi-failing) and I feel like I’m spinning.

It is in this moment that I remember God’s instruction to Be Still. Psalm 46:10 “Be still, be calm, see, and understand I am the True God.” (The VOICE) Not slow down. Not glance in your peripheral vision. Not only if you have time. He says, be still. Stop. Be calm. Put your phone down. Stop checking Facebook, and Instagram, and Twitter long enough to see. To notice. To pay attention. To quit being distracted. And then more than just see, but understand. To regard. To be knowledgeably aware. To be thoroughly familiar with His character. To see him in both the details and the big picture. To think ahead, think big, to see Him as my purpose for it all; yet think small and see Him in every detail, of every minute, of every (busy) day. But for each precious perspective, I must start by reminding myself to first… be still

Disclaimer: My viewpoints are not necessarily reflective of my employer, or any local, regional or national organization that I belong to. As a matter of fact, I pretty much just speak for myself. Please keep that in mind.