Asleep In The Sunshine

Today at church, a family invited me to spend the afternoon at a local  pool with them. I was so eager to go. This would be my first time at a ‘real’ pool for this season. Not that my kiddie pool where I cool off on my back deck isn't a 'real' pool...or at least ‘real’ to me…but you get the idea...

So there I was, stretched out face down on a lawn chair beside the pool. My hand held a book open on the patio right below me. The sky alternated between hazy clouds and beaming bursts of sun.
The air was hot, but not uncomfortably sticky or unbearable. A radio blared over the speakers. My ears filled with the sound of chatter, laughter, and delighted squeals of children. Occasional splashes from excited jumps into the pool spattered my face. And there, amid all the kids and commotion, I fell asleep.

So many nights I have lain in a comfortable bed with fluffy pillows, in a dark room, quiet except for the cozy hum of a fan, and sleep evades me. Yet there, surrounded by strangers and noise and brightness and activity, on a poolside lawn chair, I drifted into such a relaxed peacefulness that sleep felt as natural as breathing.

I was thinking the same thing tonight as I did my nightly ritual of sitting on my back deck, reading and looking at the stars and moon before bed. “I could sleep out here,” I thought, loving the world outside. “Do I have to go back inside?” But since I am not fond of snakes, mosquitoes, spiders, or anything else that creeps and crawls in the night, I resisted the urge to just curl up in my chair, pull my robe more tightly around me, and sleep on my deck.

Maybe it is something about the outdoors...Maybe the feel of air on my face and the sights of God’s masterpieces remind me how my worries are so small next to his greatness.

Maybe out in his creation, letting go of my cares and relaxing into him are the most natural, responsive things to do---whether below a starry night sky or listening to children's laughter under a hot summer sun.