"My reality is not meeting my expectations."

This quote haunts me. I read it or heard it not too long ago, I can't remember...memory loss, that's a blog all of its own.

Reality, an undefinable string of moments. What is to me, my reality, is to someone else, something completely different. For example, tonight Jackson, my almost-seven-year-old twin son was being very loud. That's his new thing, being loud. He has found his voice, his inner spirit and wants to share it with anyone he can. God bless him. Well, to my almost-eighteen-year-old senior daughter in high school, Lexie, this inner spirit is more like the sound of semi crashing through the house. So, after supper tonight, Jackson was coming down the stairs, being some type of animal, loudly, and I lost my temper and loudly told him to be quiet, so effective, let me tell ya! Can you see the dominos falling - Lexie gets upset, "why can't we just all get along" and in less than 30 seconds both are stomping off and I'm left doing the dishes by myself. My reality was definitely not meeting my expectations at that moment. Jackson's reality was that he was just expressing himself; Lexie's reality was that it was way too noisy. Not quite meeting in the middle. That's just 5 minutes of our life.

Infinite realities blending together. No wonder there is conflict in our world. But in the midst of the blending is the real challenge, perhaps even the opportunity. We hear so often that we need to live as if each day may be our last. A mother shared with me today that her son joined the National Guard. I told her that although I consider myself very patriotic, I hope that my sons don't choose that path. She responded very solidly, "He could get hit by a car crossing the street. It's God's plan, not mine." Just like that, no pause, no hesitation; so sure of her faith. That is her reality.

So if a person can choose to have that type of reality...that type of life, than a person can also choose to change their reality if it is not meeting their expectations. Just like that, no hesitation; do I have the courage to change?