Savor It

All things being equal, I would choose the old house that creeks with character over a brand-new track home. Every single time.

I notice when the dining room table has nicks, scratches, and ring marks from drinking glasses—a sweet indication that many people have gathered around it enjoying meals together.

Wrinkles on her face and crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes—a lovely sign of years full of laughter, and sunshine.

The little girl with messy hair, wearing a smile, and stains on her shirt from the ice cream she ate earlier—a sweet mess, indeed.

A young boy riding in a grocery cart with sleepy eyes, his shirt on backwards, and a head full of curls sticking up every which way—you know his dad woke him up from a nap before going shopping. Precious!

And jeans—not the ones you can buy these days with holes already in them. I’m talking about the old, soft, washed-one-hundred-times, frayed, kind that have literally been worn out. Those are the jeans I love to live in.

I’d pick his old t-shirt from college to sleep in over a nightgown, any day. I think nightgowns are beautiful, but I’m happier in his t-shirt.

His smile with that one tooth in the front that’s just a little bit crooked. Why is that so appealing?

The serving dish with stains that have been scrubbed, but they won’t come off. They’ve melted into the glass from the countless times it baked in the oven filled with lasagna, cake, garlic bread, brownies, casseroles, and all the other delicious food we’ve eaten together as a family. Is it weird that I think it somehow holds its own flavor? Maybe. But I will not part with it.

I’ve worn the same ball cap for over ten years. I’m not kidding. I will only trash it when it finally falls apart, and I’ll be sad when it does because I love my old ball cap.

The wooden shelf I found at a garage sale—the paint is dull, and the wood is scratched, but I was instantly drawn to it. Maybe it’s because I’m a writer and am constantly narrating stories in my mind, but I like to imagine who might have owned it before me, and where it sat in their house.

Here’s my point…

I think we all love new things that sparkle and look perfect, but those less than perfect things? Those are signs of living! The aged, soft, thin layers of our lives piled high, spread wide, and filled with countless memories, and experiences to treasure.

Can life be rough? Yep.

Are there times we will want to throw in the towel and be done with everything? For sure.

But is it all worth it? Absolutely it is. So worth it!

I pray that every single day we would savor all the flavors, listen for the laughter, breath in the beauty, rejoice in the glorious imperfections of life, and be grateful for it all.