Case in point: we were downtown recently and decided to check out the new San Diego Central Library. It wasn't quite open yet. Two guards stood out front at the police barricades. Reid, dying to know if they had a book sale room with VHS tapes, had one foot out the open car door when the security officers saw us. I spied the CLOSED for CONSTRUCTION sign about the same time they yelled out across the vacant 3-way intersection, "September 28th we'll be open. Come back!"
Oh you know we will! It's a plan. At Reid's insistence, I promised we would come back on September 28 for the Opening Festivities. Music, family friendly street fair, activities...we're in! As we anticipated the outing everyday after school, he kept tabs "Is it Sept. 28? Is this Saturday the day? We are going to the Central Library Saturday right, Mom?" I assured him, yes.
On one of these occasions he reflected on our drive by, "It was like in the Wizard of Oz when they said, "Come back tomorrow."
I had to look it up. Sure enough:
Wizard of Oz: [speaking in a booming voice into microphone]
Do not arouse the wrath of the great and powerful Oz. I said come back tomorrow.
We did go back, just as Dorothy and friends did. Approaching the new structure was a bit like the Emerald City. It's as big and glass and as ominous as a spaceship in the wrong port. The enormous crowd made me think there was a game at Petco stadium. The band made me wonder who defined "family friendly."
"It's kinda like California Adventure," Reid observed as I looked up to see various dance troupes performing in the barricaded street. Just like the Pixar parade...but not.
It was a formula for fiasco as we beelined in hot pursuit of the obligatory Book Sale room--through a path designated as the exit for today only. Reid minded my changing directions, u-turned, walked around the entire spaceship until we found today's entrance complete with security check and a queue wrapped around the other corner of the building. "Oy oy oy...how is this going to work? It isn't." Was I talking outloud?
I spied an Inclusion Community social group, easily identifiable by their matching t-shirts. Their leader appealed to the powers that be to jump the line while her matching colleagues corralled the escalating adult clients struggling to cope in the chaos. I considered joining them. That might be just the ticket and even without the t-shirts, we qualified. Reid actually skirted half way in but came back out to me complying to another guard.
By then I'd learned the Book Sale room wasn't open yet anyway--for this very public sneak peek. And opted to appeal to Reid's sense of logic.
"Reid, this would be a lot more fun if we come back next week when there aren't so many people. Whadd 'ya say we go get lunch instead?"
"You're right, Mom. Let's go." And off we went...as disillusioned as Dorothy and the TinMan when they met the Wizard.
A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11
The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention. Matthew 7:12-14