Yesterday, we went to a nearby nature trail for a picnic lunch after church. It had rained Friday and Saturday, so the ground was still wet and muddy in places.
But it was a beautiful spring day and we couldn’t resist, despite the mud. We walked the nature trail, observed animals tracks, discussed bird calls, walked down by the river and found shells, and just enjoyed the quiet, peace, and fun family outing.
When it was time to go, we found a short cut across the field to get back to the parking lot. A lot of people were taking this route and so we followed suit.
There were lots of muddy places on the short cut route, so we kept reminding the kids over and over not to step in the mud. Things were going well until about halfway to the car when one child forgot to look where they were going and stepped right into a mud hole.
They had trouble getting their shoes out from the strong suction of the mud. When they finally did, they had mud all over their shoes and feet and were pretty upset about the whole thing.
The mud slowed them down considerably and us, in turn. Then, we had to spend a long time wiping everything up with baby wipes (the only thing we had!) when we made it back to our car.
It was all good in the end and, once the mud was cleaned up, this child’s attitude lightened considerably. So the fun day was salvaged, in spite of the mud experience.
While we were dealing with all the mud, I kept thinking about the life analogies that it contained. How many times in our adult lives do we get distracted and not pay attention to where we’re going and all of a sudden end up in a muddy mess?
This is especially true when it comes to our finances: we can make a plan for our finances, but then we get busy and we take our eyes off of the path we’d mapped out. We get distracted, we become undisciplined, we let our good habits slip.
Little bit by little bit, we start veering off the path. And then, all of a sudden we can find ourselves stuck in financial mud and frustrated that we didn’t notice we were walking right into it.
The moral of the story? Keep watching where you’re walking.
Have accountability in place so that you’re constantly checking the path (your financial or life goals) to make sure you’re not getting way off course. Those little course corrections will keep you from ending up mired in a mucky mess.
Erica Lynn says
I love this story! Sometimes it’s not easy, especially with little kids but nature is so important to our whole development, which I’m sure you know.:)
Sarah in Alaska says
Thank you for this thought. My BIL was just telling us a story about how his boys love mud.
One backpacking trip I went on, I met a woman who wasn’t able to retrieve her shoe from a mud hole. And even though her husband and she got down on their hands and knees, and dug through the mud, they couldn’t find it. It had disappeared! Thank goodness she had lost her camp shoe and not her hiking boot – she had eight miles to go the next day.
Too often I find myself worried about the mud and not happy that I was able to salvage my shoe. I definitely need to adjust my attitude sometimes. Mistakes happen. We have disappointments. But I shouldn’t let them color my entire life.
Anne @ Modern Mrs Darcy says
I’m laughing in recognition….this weekend I ended up sinking down to my ankles in some Texas mud. Quicksand analogies have been swirling in my head ever since. 🙂
Jenny says
Thank you for sharing Crystal!
Georgia Gal says
Great thoughts Crystal. It shows us that when we get into a “muddy mess” it takes time to “clean it up”. Things don’t always go the way we want or as fast as we want, but we must keep going, to get the results we are looking for. Hope you have a wonderful day~
Lana says
I know how that feels myself! I stepped in a mud hole in a field on a family outing and had to actually pull my feet out without my shoes! This resulted in my husband having to stick his arms in and pull out my shoes and me walking in muddy socks. We should have just left the shoes in the hole because no amount of cleaning would make them presentable since we have red clay. I can sympathize with your child because I sure did want to get upset, too. Well maybe I did a little. 🙂
Stephanie says
The distractions….oh aren’t they there when there is so much to look at? Staying focused isn’t easy, that’s for sure!
Diane says
Great post! And I really like how you strive to maintain your children’s privacy even on such a public forum as this one. You are a kind Mom!!!
Victoria says
Great analogy. We are cleaning up some mud ourselves right now. It feels pretty good but it has been extremely hard work most of it being patience.
Avi Moyal says
Agreed. Sometimes we can get distracted by something and it is almost as if we want to stay distracted. But reality can sneak up on you and then bam you are farther back then where you started. Thanks for sharing.
Jen says
I’m an avid hiker, and I have found a good solution to preventing mud/debris in the car. I purchased some cheap multi-colored woven rugs from the dollar store. They’re only $1, plus they’re super quick and easy to put on the floor pre-hike, then remove and shake out post-hike. I keep them in the trunk in a small plastic bucket when they’re not being used, and they’re easy to launder if needed. Some old sheets or towels would work just as well, I just like the size of these and the way they don’t roll/fold up unintentionally like a sheet or towel might. Might be worth a try for your readers with little ones prone to missteps! 🙂
marlin says
What a beautiful story ! thanks for sharing !