Sentiments from a Snowmobile

This past Sunday afternoon, Tim and I went snowmobiling for time #3. It was 12 degrees outside, so I was a little suspicious of whether or not going out was wise, but we stayed quite warm dressed in our winter gear and we had a delightful time out on the trails together.

Instead of doubling up on the same sled, this time we each drove our own. This provided an unexpected quiet time alone on the sled with my thoughts, prompting this blog entry. Well, quiet except for the loud roaring of the snowmobile engine. :)

A few miles into the ride, I realized that it had been way too long since I had just been quiet, uninterrupted and alone with my thoughts. In today's constantly accessible info/communication environment, even my 'alone' time is often distracted with my desire to check email, Facebook, look up a fact on the internet, or view an incoming text. There's hardly ever a time other than being in the shower, when I can 'drown out' all other distractions and just...think.

It's rather good and extremely therapeutic to just...think. To ponder life. To ponder God's goodness...
I find my creativity wanes when I do not take adequate time to think. The stresses of this world call loudly when I do not quiet myself and think.

And this is all in addition to the morning quiet time with God and devotional time, which I have regularly. I cherish my morning reading and quiet time. But still, in a normal home environment,even then, distractions are close at hand. Always, close at hand, distractions are there to, well...distract.

I think it is important to get one's self into a situation where we can be quiet and think, ponder and listen....to God, our Maker, our Guide, our Friend....wherever that might be; on a snowmobile or otherwise. But it makes activities such as snowmobiling have a bit of a higher purpose; I think for me, at least, it can be quite therapeutic.



Additionally, my thoughts went to some situations with some friends recently, where I've been using words such as "We're in this together"...."We can't go through life alone"...."We need each other." As good as it was to have a time to be quiet and alone on my own snowmobile, I was surely glad to not be alone on the trail. I am new to this snowmobiling sport and lacking much knowledge that I might need as we go on the journey. I am glad, so glad, that Tim was close by. It was very comforting to see his sled's taillights ahead of me as I followed, or his headlights in my rearview mirror when he was behind me. Sometimes he'd go out of my sight because he likes to ride faster than I do, but then he'd turn around and I'd see his headlights coming back to find me, to make sure I was okay, still there, not having trouble of any kind. I like that! I need that! And friends, in life, we need a buddy on a sled near ours...we don't want to have to be driving out in the cold, in the dark, all alone. It's just simply not a good idea.

So go ahead, make time for some fun in life, and remember above all to make some time for you to be quiet, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and what he wants to whisper to you....
Just don't plan to remain alone...find some good friends and do life together! That makes the adventure just about perfect!