The last few days have been… interesting.

Tuesday started with stepping in a (cold) pile of cat hork on my way to the shower. Yes. Ew.

Later when I left the house to run an errand, my sometimes-flat tire was flat again. I managed to inflate it enough to get to my mechanic. They patched it and said, “you will need two new tires.” (This is because the tires have too many miles to be replaced singly.) Well. Double ew?

Despite all that fun, I made it to the hospital just in time for an appointment with my oncologist’s lab. I quickly hopped on an available elevator. Another person made it in just before the door closed. But because it was THAT kind of day, I picked the elevator that did not want to run. My new elevator friend and I looked at each other. There’s no cell service or WiFi in the elevator, so we called the squawk box and they told us to push ALL the buttons (a toddler’s dream!) Nada. Then they said to push and hold the “door open” button. Nope. Finally, she said, “someone will be with you shortly.” Um. OK. What choice do we have?

My new friend and I chatted, hoping it was going to be a brief delay. Every now and then, the squawk box would check in and tell us that “someone will be with you shortly.” I said, “you mean “longly.” (She didn’t get it. Never mind, then.) After 30 minutes, someone banged on the elevator door, and my new friend yelled, “Come in!” (At this point we were punchy and entertaining ourselves with bad jokes, because we seemed to be living in one.)

“We’re bringing a key to let you out!” My elevator buddy and I looked at each other and said, “someone will be with you shortly.” And we laughed. We practiced some wall sits and lunges wondering how much longer… It took an hour (AN HOUR!) until someone came to get us out.

I was an hour late for my lab appointment. With some trepidation, I got on another elevator to get to the 7th floor. My favorite lab manager said, “we wondered who was stuck in there! You win a prize!” “What’s that?” I asked. She grinned and said, “a free port flush!”

Many times we get these zingers in life. Things take a turn and… wow. The unexpected can knock you off your feet! It took a LOT more faith to get back on the elevator the second and third times than it did the first time that day. The same is true when life surprises you; after a setback or challenge, it takes more faith to believe that God is with you. And there is that twinge of fear as you think, “is this a good idea? Is God really there?”

I’ve accepted that there’s a WHOLE lot ahead of me and I have no clue what it might be. Hopefully I’ll weather each storm, and remember one crazy day on an elevator. You see, sometimes you laugh at the craziness of it all. And sometimes, you just have to wait and see what’s next and trust in Divine Care.

As John Lennon wrote in his song Darling Boy:
Before you cross the street take my hand,
Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

What’s next in my life? I have no clue! Thankfully, God’s Hand is always there. May I stay curious enough about life’s surprises and be able to hang on to God when I need God the most.

Curiously yours,
–Deb