Sometimes, I have the privilege, or the unpleasant shock, as the case may be, of having a distinct moment of clarity just as I wake up. It’s as if all of the clouds are suddenly pushed away, and everything looks clear. Or as if I’m given a ten second ticket to the moon, where I can be outside of my own life, looking in and evaluating it in a split second. Today I had a cloud-clearing moment. And I’d like to share it with you.
I got through with school an hour early and skipped merrily home. Then I got a text from the family I tutor, and they said they couldn’t have any classes today. Suddenly, a day that was going to be quite busy was clear. Since I didn’t get much sleep last night, I decided to indulge in a nap. A power nap, to be specific. I mastered the art of the 15 minute nap between classes in college, and it still comes in handy here in Spain every once in a while.
This is all very ordinary, boring information right now. But here’s what happened. When I woke up, the first thing I saw was the picture of Alabama I have hanging on my wall. It’s an artful drawing of some of the main attractions in our state, all in blues, greens, browns, and yellows. I mounted it on scrapbook paper and enjoy displaying my home sweet home here in my little bedroom in Spain. Here’s the thing, though. Two years ago, I would never hang a picture of Alabama on my wall. Why would I? Though I was fond of my home, there has never been a part of me that is particularly in love with my home state. No need to make any crafts in the shape of Alabama, or anything. Leave that for the Texans.
But Spain has quite changed that. Since living in Spain, I’ve realized how much we have to be thankful for about life in Alabama. For starters, it’s a whole community of people I can communicate perfectly with. Well, not perfectly, because we still have our issues, but I at least have a fighting chance. I feel so prepared to deal with things like problems with the internet, electricity bill, or the error in my total at the store. After haltingly attempting to solve those problems in Spanish, shoot. Bring them on in English. What’s more, Alabama is a beautiful state. As I teach my students about my home, its culture, and its landscape, I can’t help but realize how lucky we are. We have gorgeous mountains, parks, trails, and wildlife immediately around us in Birmingham. Not so in Sevilla!
So there I was, lying there looking at this sign of Alabama with this phony sense of love for that good state. And marveling at the fact that life has brought me here, to this small, white-walled room in Southern Spain, for 9 months. If you had told my 16- year-old self that I would live in Spain for almost a year (or England for 4 months, to boot), I would have been certain you mixed up your predictions. That must be for some other Katie. Yet here I am! What better illustration can there be of God’s magnificent control of this world? Life surprises most of us. I can count myself on that list many times over even at the age of 23. But nothing surprises the Lord. And He’s working it all for our good, which comes through His glory. Looking at that picture of Alabama, I understood that anew for just a moment. It’s going to be hard to wrap my mind around how much I’ve learned when this adventure in Spain is all over. But for now, I’m thankful to see just a glimpse of it.
Apart from these deep moments of reflection, I’ve got some other plans for this extra free time. Tonight, I’m cooking. I hardly have time to really make a good dish, and today’s the day. I’m also going to make brownies, hoping that my Spanish roomie Sandra will love them and be converted forever. (Though that would actually be sad, as they might be difficult to make here in Spain…). I’m going to plan some trips that we hope to take in the next few weeks (Cadíz, Málaga, and London, here we come!), and watch part of Matilda in Spanish. (My brain can only handle so much at a time!) And all of this with the new mini-heater I bought last night close by, making my flat about 95% more comfortable. What a lovely day it has turned out to be!
And so I’m forced to do it at some point because I told you I would, I must update you on church in Sevilla as well as tell you about a typical day for me sometime soon. We’ll see how that goes. Yep. Ya está! (That’s it!)
Wow! I checked your blog just before going to bed with skepticism that you would have a new post since you just posted like 2 weeks ago (haha) and you wouldn't want to update us too often. But to my surprise there was a perfectly lovely and insightful post and I even got a shout out!
ReplyDeleteI just love busy days that clear up... or that you make clear up bc you can't stand to follow a schedule for even one more day. I'm so glad you got to rest and bake and watch movies. Turned out to be a fantastic day!