meekness

I did OK today. Other than the fact that I totally forgot a skype appointment I had made, the rest of the day was pretty good. Oh yeah. And the fact that I tried to have devotions this morning, which really amounted to dozing for an hour in my chair. Disappointing.

So, I got myself going, cleaned the house a bit, showered and got myself out to do errands. That is, after I waited for the water truck to come and bring our drinking water, which comes in big jugs. We ran out two days ago but the company was closed for Chinese New Year. They came after 10:00.

Anyway, my first errand was to walk over to a pharmacy to see if they had a certain medicine. I was checking for a friend. Here you can self-medicate. Just tell them what you want, and they'll get it for you. So, when I got to the shop I knew it was going to be trouble. The counter was swarmed with customers. Here they also don't really have the concept of a line. You just push and elbow until you get to the front. It makes me really tense and frustrated.

But I had walked there and didn't want to come back later, so I joined the fray. I would leave comfortable "personal space" between myself and the people in front of me, and others would push into the gap. So, bracing myself, I stood elbow-to-elbow, chest to back until I was almost to the counter. Then someone actually reached OVER me to get their order in.

I did not flip out. I did not really even get angry. I simply said, in a quiet voice, "Please wait a moment." The guy, surprised I was addressing him in his national language, said, "I just want to show them what I need." I answered, "Yes, I want to show them what I need, too, but I haven't had the chance. There are too many people." He had a good chuckle with all his friends that I spoke so clearly. I just turned forward again and concentrated on getting to the front. I don't actually even know if he got his order before me or not.

But my adventures were not over. The people behind the counter wouldn't speak to me, because they didn't speak English, and their only English speaker was busy with someone else. When he was finally free, he seemed ticked that I spoke in the national language. Then he was doubly annoyed that I didn't want to buy anything, but just wanted information. I got my most basic questions answered, but didn't push for more, even though I wanted additional information. I just got the heck out of there.

I successfully resisted the temptation to go into the gourmet coffee shop right next door and drown my frustrations in something sweet, hot and decaffeinated. I finished my errands and headed home, riding a cyclo—something with a chair and two wheels in front and a bicycle seat and pedals in the back, where the driver sits. It is a great way to travel.

Mostly we have motorbike taxis. And speaking of, at one point I was walking down a sidewalk with nice big trees. I saw a man a few trees in front of me, standing really close to the trunk. Pretty quickly I realized that he was relieving himself and just as quickly I realized that I was going to have to walk right past him. Keeping my eyes on everything else, I neared him. He finished and zipped up as I drew even with him. I worked to avoid his eyes, but he was grinning. Finally I looked at him. He then asked if I wanted to ride his motorbike taxi. What? Gross. No!

I painted most of the afternoon. I'm actually mostly finished with that project and am wondering what I'm going to do next.

I feel better about life in general than I did yesterday, but am still perturbed by my inability to really connect in my Bible study. I used to feel such a sense of closeness. Where did it go and how do I recapture it? Falling asleep really doesn't help. Why am I so weary? I'm aiming for an early bed time again tonight.