Snail Trails

 This morning I drove my car to Springs to the garage to have my air conditioning and cruise control looked at. Neither is working at the moment and I am a little tired of showing up places on a hot day completely windblown. Not that I mind the wind blowing through my hair; it's just that when I need to look somewhat professional, this look isn't what I want to leave as a first impression.

Imagine Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School-bus series and you'll get the idea.

As for the cruise control, let's just say it helps me obey the posted traffic signs. If I am on the highway or Interstate, I like to listen to music and sometimes I get a little heavy on the gas pedal. The cruise feature keeps the police cruiser away, much like an apple and the doctor.

So, I took Scarlet, my car, to the garage to be checked out. Then I walked home. Only three miles from my house, it was a pleasant walk and I enjoyed the early morning crispness. As I walked I noticed something.

Snail trails.

All along the side of the road there were silvery trails of dried snail slime that glistened in the sunlight.
I don't just mean in one place either; it was the whole way home. There must be a lot of snails in the fields around here. The trails were left on the pavement in crooked paths that left you to wonder where they were going and why. Was it because of the rain yesterday and they had to head to higher, dryer ground? Were they flooded from their homes? Do snails just like to get out sometimes?

Whatever the reason, I found it fascinating. It looked like there was no purpose, but as with most things in nature, I am sure there was. I thought about the reasons that I am out and about, cruising along.

(Well, I would be cruising along if my cruise control was fixed.)

As I meander through life, whether it is cruising down the highway, walking home, at work, at home, at church, wherever, do I know where I am headed? Am I like the snails, who seem to just be crawling around aimlessly? Or am I like the horse who knows where home is and heads that way without prompting? Or better yet, a homing pigeon.

I am like the horse in that I know, without prompting, that Heaven is my ultimate home someday. Everyday my thoughts go to God and my relationship with Him. This keeps me headed in the right direction.

I think I am like the homing pigeon in that I know I belong with Leo for life. I want to provide a place for us and our children. Level Acres Lane and the farm is my home.

I am like the snail when I have too much to do and not enough time to do it in. I get disorganized and go from one thing to the next. Sometimes, I just head for higher ground to keep afloat.

When I get Scarlet back tonight, I hope to have my cruise back. I hope to have the option for cooler air when I need it, and whether I am going at a snail's pace, a horse's gallop, or soaring like a bird, I hope to keep my focus in focus, my goals in mind, and my heart set on Home.

Love,
Dianne