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Touch Grass SassafrasGet in here and hide out with me for a little bit. It's intense and noisy out there. Maybe it is in here, too, but I promise to aim at the right kinds of intense or noisy. Author: Duckie Louise
A Christian podcast with sleepover vibes, and an attempt to strengthen connection with the tangible world and the slow pace of real life through discussing themes inspired by our five senses. Sight: Where have we seen God lately, Hearing: Storytime! And new music finds, Smell: a haiku based inspired by a scent, Taste: a food hack or a very easy recipe, Touch: encouragement to go do stuff. Some sharing about books, a tiny bit of discussion of Bible verses, and a little benediction. duckie.substack.com Language: en Genres: Christianity, Kids & Family, Parenting, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Fortunately, Unfortunately
Tuesday, 11 February, 2025
I wrote this many months before the (currently as of the writing of this disclaimer) 2024 US election as I grappled with anxiety over how it was going to turn out. There was a Chinese Folk story I used to read to my kids when they were very wee, about a sweet old man who lived out in the country somewhere. The two loves of this man’s life were his horses and his son. The story starts out with everything going swimmingly. But one day a servant leaves a stable door open by accident, and his favorite stallion disappears into the mountains. Everyone is distraught over this bad luck, but the old man is basically like, “Is it bad luck, though?”He prefers a bit of a wait-and-see approach. And sure enough, in a few weeks or so, the stallion comes home, with a rare and valuable mare trotting along behind him. Again, his neighbors and friends are jumping to react, but this time, it’s to rejoice over good luck. And again, the man is essentially unmoved. “Maybe it’s good luck”, he tells them, “I guess we’ll see.” (I would note here that this is obviously a story with a call to stoicism, and it has a strong point - but I, for one, would never advocate holding back on rejoicing when something goes right. I think that not only is it possible to rejoice with abandon without becoming too attached to outcomes, but that it is downright important and good for the soul.) So then, one day the man and his son are out riding together, and the son falls off the mare. He breaks his leg so badly that it is permanently damaged, even after it’s healed. Bad luck? Two years later, there’s an enemy invasion, and the son isn’t called upon to fight because of his bum leg. Good luck?You get the idea. Life is like this, isn’t it? Something goes right, only to open a door for all sorts of trouble. Or (you know what I’m about to say), on the flippity flop, something awful happens only to unexpectedly cascade into beauty that would have been out of reach forever, otherwise.And since life is nothing if not deeply complex, and we are all connected to each other, everything that ever happens splinters off and goes branching in another direction. Truly, who knows what tomorrow will bring? So, okay, why am I talking about this? Because every so often, Americans are put through an election and I (being American) have noticed a pattern. Have you? Does it seem like every election you have ever lived through has been “THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIME” and “THE OUTCOME WILL DETERMINE WHETHER WE HAVE A COUNTRY ANYMORE OR NOT!!”? Every. Time. Hey, maybe this time it actually is different. Maybe if the wrong candidate wins, this time we really do vanish in a puff of smoke. Maybe it would be really unlucky. Or would it? Maybe if the right candidate wins, our crushing government-inflicted agonies would be relieved, at last. Maybe it would be really lucky. Or would it? All I’m saying is that perhaps we could learn a little something from the elderly stoic in the Chinese folktale that I used to read to my children. Perhaps it would serve our mental health well to stop trying to predict the outcome. Stop pre-grieving. Stop hanging our hopes on the ever-fragile spider-silk-thread of things that are determined by majority public opinion. What if we could, instead, love a God who has promised us that He is a Good Father? What if, instead, we could meet Him morning after morning as we rub the sleep out of our eyes and wonder, with a stubborn hope, how all the anxiety fanfics of our lives that we have written in our heads will be proven wrong today?What if we practice trusting that when bad things happen, the God Who promised to make all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose - will do what He said He would do? Not in a platitude way. Not in a throw-pillow way. But in a way that is real and meaningful and personal?Fortunately, unfortunately. Fortunately.I am writing this, as I write anything I write, for myself. If you need to hear it, too, then we are in the same boat. I hope we can unclench our fists and let the anxiety become a curiosity that dissolves into trust. Trust, not for election outcomes, not for a pendulum swing, and not for the policies we favor. But trust for the Father of Lights. The Good God who loves us and Who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The One who isn’t moved or bothered by any possibility of luck, good or bad. The Escape Hatch (by Duckie Louise) is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Escape Hatch (by Duckie Louise) at duckie.substack.com/subscribe
