Signs

I watched the process in amazement.  I thought the first crew was early, but the second was working at five thirty in the morning!  The unfolding scene transformed a chunk of concrete in the ground into a incredibly beautiful, all inviting pool.  For the better part of two days I watched and reported on the progress.  The process unfolded with a crew of eleven starting in the early morning dawn; each member working together in a disciplined, multi-layered process of spraying and bringing the pebble-tec coating to life.  The final touches – misting, smoothing, misting some more, and working their magical arts – was simply incredible.  Their conversation was unrelated to the tasks at hand, as if they implicitly understood and trusted each other’s actions even before they began.
 
The second crew was small, only two.  Yet the communication and seamless interaction remained.  The lessons for you and me are there – assuming we are open to watching, listening, and learning.  The latter cannot be assumed, however without the observation and memories there is no foundation. 
 
The command to watch and record has always been here.  Far too often I find myself pushing into the future, ignorant of what is happening in the present.  There is an alternative.  Imagine yourself at the lookout.  You get to observe and, when something happens, it is your shout, “I'm at my post, Master, sticking to my post day after day and all through the night!  I watched them come, the horses and wagons in battle formation.  I heard them call out the war news in headlines: ‘Babylon fallen!  Fallen!  And all its precious god-idols smashed to pieces on the ground.’”  (Isaiah 21.8, 9) 
 
Life doesn’t always “seem” interesting yet there is always something we can learn.  Part of the engaging in life rests in being aware, open, and attentive.  Details matter!  Nuances count.  Even the mundane can be important, fun, and instructive.  Life is full of signs, just waiting for us to see, experience, and enjoy.  The crews taught me far more than they realized.  Thanks for the great work and lessons.