Uninterupted

It's no surprise to most that I have been called OCD a time or two.   I'm definitely a routine person. Prior to my accident, I would wake up every morning on my own, pour my juice, and drink it while building my breakfast and coffee.  I would listen to ESPN radio while eating my breakfast and drinking my coffee.  I would then go workout in the gym, shower, and dress for work.  It was like clockwork.  I remember how upset inside and disrupted I would feel if Joie woke up early on a particular day and disrupted my flow.  My work day shared the same rhythm of consistency.  Any changes were like a bomb inside that upset the apple cart and made my skin crawl. 

What I didn't notice was this ongoing routine being unchanged and uninterrupted for years to come was just a dressed up, disguised rut.  With my life fixed forward and no ability to go left or right, tunnel vision had me letting time fly with no challenge or growth. 

I'm a shy pee'er.  I like my personal bubble, and it's big.  Public bathrooms,  doctors offices, gym locker rooms were used only in case of emergency.  I took the time to teach myself a mnemonic device for public restroom situations.  A single mind picture I used over and over again to pee in the comfort of my home, so that I may recreate the same thought in a restroom with someone standing next to me and still relax.  Never, never, NEVER, could I even dream (maybe a nightmare) let alone think about having to shower, or preform bowel functions in front of complete strange men and women.  I anticipated my wife to be the last to ever see me in my birthday suit.

Then God put a giant boulder in the middle of my rut and I smacked it at Mach 100 (almost literally).  We find that the minute we think we have life figured out it's severely disrupted.  At the time of impact we think it's a catastrophe we won't recover from.  But a good friend once pointed out during a particular challenge, God sees the whole timeline from beginning to end,  and although we feel lost in the middle with several questions, its often not until way down the road looking back that we understand the vision and purpose the Lord had for us. 

I'm keeping that in mind as I venture down this new path.  God has truly humbled me in so many ways.  My personal bubble was popped with a bazooka.  Shyness is a thing of the past.  I never thought it would take me 45 minutes just to get dressed as part of my new morning routine.

The point is I'm excited!

The rut is no longer before me, there is a whole new groomed path with all new challenges.  I just have to make sure I don't form a new rut so I keep growing.