You know... there are just some periods in life when things are at such a frantic pace that you feel you've been left in the dust and are spinning on your tail.

Don't get me wrong, things are fine. But wow -- this past couple weeks held a pace that I'd like NOT to keep up moving forward. I think that tends to be the nature of life in my new position. And I'm grateful for the position and the opportunities it's providing. But I'm pretty sure I've aged 10 years in the last year.

I have to share my weekend. I was sent away for work to set up a conference. I travelled with 3 colleagues. Only I didn't exactly travel WITH them. Being the stubborn person that I am, I chose to fly out at 5:50pm AFTER our basketball game. They flew out at around noon, with the ETA of about 5:00pm. My first flight was delayed 45 minutes -- which annoyed me until I arrived at my final destination on time. Then I learned that my colleagues had only arrived 2 hours before me -- instead of the 7 hours they were SUPPOSED to have arrived before me. They had a nightmare day of delayed flights, missed flights, etc. I only had the inconvenice (and my seat mate the misfortune) of not having time to shower after my basketball game. HA HA! I'm still laughing at that! :) As Jon would say, "I smell like roses."

THEN.... on the return flight on Sunday....
We arrived at the show Sunday morning to continue our set up. They got a phone call from the airline saying BOTH their flights were cancelled, and they were rebooked on the 6:30PM flight on Monday. Yes -- over 24 hours later. My flights... all on time. I had chosen to fly through Dallas, while their flights took them through Atlanta. In short, their flights took them straight through all the crazy thunderstorms, tornadoes, and other weather that hit the southeast last weekend. My route took me south of it all. Even when my last flight was delayed an hour, my new perspective allowed me to not get annoyed, and instead just be thankful that I could still kiss my kids when I got home that night. Yes, it was midnight. But I was home.

Sometimes it's nice to get a different perspective. I think it's important to hold that perspective and keep a positive outlook. It's very easy for me to get drug down by the chaos and frantic pace. When I allow myself to do that, I get a singular focus on "just getting through" and my perspective on the rest of life is completely lost. Another way of putting it: I look OUT, but forget to look UP.

Because at the end of the day, the right perspective is going to come from UP.

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3