Small Sunday nights… at least that’s the way it feels, certainly after the grandeur of the weekend. But the still quality of the evening belies something deeper about it, something that embellishes the more ruthlessly exciting stretches of time we find ourselves in.The moments when we squeeze down into our chairs, pick a spot to stare at, and sift through the amalgam of thoughts and feelings amassed recently… We need the downtime. At least, I know I do.
The time spent in my parents’ driveway Saturday morning and into most of the afternoon was amazingly blessed automotively. My dad fixed the truck, I removed the engine from the Supra with remarkably little drama (thanks to the able assistance of Joel and John), and the garage entered the evening in a state of cleanliness that might surprise you if you’ve ever viewed it following a car fixing session of any variety.
After everything was put away, I collected odds and ends for the camping trip, made phone calls to ascertain our spot, and set out. Arrived at the campgrounds just before they closed the gates, gave Kelli and her dogs a ride to the campsite, made it to the location, and fired up the little Coleman stove. Jumbalaya was a success, even though I didn’t bring enough rice mix, but I think everyone was satisfied, my overarching goal beyond my petty pursuit of perfection in the area of meal preparation. Donald and Daniel started the fire (*cue Billy Joel song*) and we smored for a bit. I expressed to Leslie later on in the evening how wonderful it was to have an evening out with the leadership team where we didn’t talk about youth group at all or even consciously try to get to know one another better, but just to spend time with one another–telling knock-knock jokes if we wanted, or talking about the most seemingly inane things for an hour or three, seeing things in the fire, walking down to the lake, anything and everything all put together… It was refreshing beyond measure. It’s nice to enter a week substantially more open-eyed than I have after the all-too rare weekends when I actually get enough sleep.