The sign was oh-so-familiar. As I approached the stand, I tried to imagine what could be eerily familiar yet unknown. I soon realised that Crispy Kreme doughnuts know no boundaries or limits! They endure, even in Dubai. I, along with many others, can never forget the first doughnut. Crispy Kreme elevated everything one enjoyed in a simple glazed doughnut to a fine, albeit very unhealthy, experience. As familiar as the sign might be, the memories made the doughnuts tempting, not the awareness.
The whispers that followed are with me this morning as I think ahead. The day’s signs seem familiar. I do not know if they are warning or inviting me. Whatever the case, I know my memories will shape my first response. In considering each moment, life has laid out the following guides to help me as I go into action.
Living is not found in a textbook or a list of rules. As helpful as both can be, it is in doing the business of living that one opens the door to learning, growth, and becoming a better person. I think of the different reminders that have been left for me in books; “They won’t go to school to learn about me, or buy a book called God in Five Easy Lessons. They’ll all get to know me firsthand, the little and the big, the small and the great.” (Hebrews 8.11) It was true then and now. Life is to be lived.
Memories can be helpful when one chooses to use them. I remembered the smell of my first doughnut. I could feel my emotions from that moment and several that followed. It was amazing how quickly replaying the feelings of an old and forgotten moment from my past promptly began to dominate my thinking. Flashes of recent birthday cake doughnuts added to the moment in ways I never imagined. I thought I would lose control as it took my breath away. In the act of catching my breath, I could feel a laugh within.
Today, I had a fresh choice to take.
