Dirt and twigs.

I've been sending kids to camp for several years now, so I figured I was all set for how to deal with laundry. I have my order of getting it done, and I know the tricks: the duffel goes straight to the basement, use baking soda to take away the camp smell, etc. Presto- clean and fresh laundry, a day and a half later! I gave my friend, mother of a first time camper, lots of advice about it recently.

But this year S.'s bunk was out in the woods, and her stuff came back covered in pieces of twigs and leaves. It's all settled in the bottom of the washer, and the things that didn't have stuff on them acquired it in the machine. As of now, I'm praying through laundry cycles and picking things off bit by bit until I find a better way- do I need to shake each piece out in the yard before it goes to the wash?

Once again in life, I was convinced I knew it all, and life threw me a curve ball.

Don't we all feel that way sometimes? We've got the whole rhythm of life going on, and then we feel like someone's dropped a bucket of dirt on it all. A whole bunch of that has happened to me lately.

I'm dealing with transportation issues for E. that I've had for awhile and I thought were set, but then exploded. I stressed over losing the status quo for months, until I just let it go and surrendered to setting up the new and making it work. I have another issue dealing with construction going on near my house which may affect us. Railing against a change from the old isn't going to help. I have to somehow create a workable new, and only when I put all my energy toward that will I get somewhere.

The new is almost always scarier than the old, even if it's better. But often it's worse, or more effort- or time-consuming. But if we define anything given to us by Hashem as good, than harder is still good. And we've got to make it work, somehow. Even though the past and the usual sticks to us so much, like little barbed twigs.

My dad told me yesterday that if we truly believe that everything we have in life is sent to us to perfect our souls, we will never be jealous. I am not there yet. I am not even near there. But I can try to deal with changes without sticking to the past too much. It will just anger and annoy me, and sap energy I need for other, better things.