Sometimes you are traveling down the road of life and it seems like there are annoying bumps and potholes here and there. You try to avoid them, but sometimes you hit one. And so much of the road seems to be covered in "washboard". Maybe you complain more than you should. You wish you could always be on a nice, smooth stretch, but it rarely happens.
Then you really do hit a rough patch. Jagged rocks are scattered everywhere, and yet the potholes make their appearance too. You can avoid the sharpest rocks, but you must be paying close attention. You can't avoid everything, though. Before, you thought you were going slow. Now you are just creeping along, painstakingly picking your way through the obstacles.
Once you've made it through with a minimum of damage, you are on the washboard again. You notice a couple juts and a pothole. They make you happy, because after what you just experienced, this is easy!
My analogy is rather stronger than what I'm actually feeling, I have to admit. I'm thinking more of somewhere between the washboard and the rough patch I described. But still.
I went to get groceries this afternoon. Most of the shelves had been refilled! I was so thankful! I certainly took that for granted before. I would complain about our circumstances and the prices, and how hard it can sometimes be to feed a family of 7 plus the occasional company. Then mass hysteria showed up. In fear, shoppers cleared the shelves. Confused, I looked around at our meager options and counted my blessings when God provided a staple or two on the shelves. We managed to scrape by. We didn't go hungry, but we didn't always like what we were eating. And then today, things were almost back to normal! Besides all the social distancing signs. And the tape marking where people should wait to go into the store if the temporary hysteria-induced capacity was reached. And all the people wearing face-masks. And the one-way-aisle directives.
But the shelves were almost full. I even saw toilet paper! (I didn't need any, so I didn't buy any.)
I think we're through the worst of it for now, and I'm thankful for that!
