Too Old To Go With The Flow. And Loving It.

"For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity..."   ... 2 Corinthians 1:12

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My vintage, reliable, Old Faithful radio alarm clock died last week. Waaaaa.

A moment of silence, please.

Er hem. Well anyway, Mrs. Online Shopper here went searching at websites for another (cheapo) clock radio, but half of the reviewers would say, "I love my new clock! So perfect." and the other half would moan, "A piece of junk! Stopped working after two days. I sent it back."

What are you supposed to do with that? Hmm?

Well, on The Fourth, we visited Salvation Army (where everything's half-off on holidays) and Tom showed me a radio alarm clock rather like my old one, but newer and with tons more buttons.

I was suspicious. Lots of online reviewers also stated these newer clocks were complicated (which is a bad, bad word to me). But I told Tom I'd try it. Go ahead and spend the whole dollar.

Oh.My.Goodness. I carried that thing upstairs to my room and had a nightmarish 15 minutes. (I refused to keep trying to understand it any longer, Life being too short, and all that.)

I couldn't even figure out how to set the clock.

So forget it. Just forget it. I calmed down, placed it in a bag to donate, then went downstairs and told Tom that this was yet one more example of how, at 58, I've paid my dues and no longer will I do anything for which I have no grace.

Those days of forcing round pegs into square holes are over. 

And the realization of that--the deciding of that--has made my life much, much calmer. Sweeter. Better.

Anyway, after chatting with Tom I returned to the computer and pretty quickly gave up on buying an alarm clock with a radio. They're just beyond my brain now.

So I went for cute, instead. Something perfect for my awesome little stripe-and-floral closet bedroom --

Oh wow. It arrived today and you know? It came with no directions. None! But the cool thing? It doesn't need any directions. It took all of two minutes to place a battery in the back, set the clock, the alarm and watch the second hand go 'round.

And it looks adorable in my bedroom.

Today's lesson? Always, always, follow Grace. If you have tons of Grace for complicated machinery or circumstances, well, more power to you. Go with that.

But if, like me, you just can't handle complication anymore? Always ask God and Grace where to go next. Even if everyone else is marching the opposite direction. Even if everyone else teases you about not keeping up, lagging behind. 

Even so, go with God. With Grace. And enjoy all that wonderful new peace on your unique journey. You've earned it.

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Oh! Did you read the prayer Brenda shared in her post called Keep Me Reasonably Sweet? 

My, my,my. It's haunted me (in a good way) ever since spying it a couple weeks ago. Gulp. Could not have prayed a more hit-the-nail-on-the-head prayer, myself.

May it haunt you, too.

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