January 19, 1998
"A Tale of Two Walkies"
by Diana Waring

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Dear Friends, Today I would like to share with you: A Tale of Two Walkies... by Diana (the little "Dickens") Waring "Yesterday, it was the best of times.  Today, it was the worst of times.   Yesterday, it was the season of light; today , it was the season of darkness. Yesterday - the spring of hope; today - the winter of despair; yesterday - we had everything before us; Today - we have nothing before us. (Thank you, Charles Dickens.) Welcome to Real Life! In the dawn's early light yesterday, my dear husband woke up and said, "Let's go for a walk!"  I tried to open one eye long enough to focus on the clock and sweetly replied, "Are you nuts?  We have another hour to sleep before time to get up for church!" "I know, but we really need to get some exercise." Sigh.  I knew deep down he was right... Living in South Dakota in the winter presents some interesting obstacles to daily walking - like 10 degrees below zero weather.   (Author's note:  I can always tell when it's 10 degrees below zero:  Step outside, breathe in, and if your nose hairs freeze, Voila!)  Last week had seen some particularly cold, snowy weather, and we had missed out on most of our daily walks. "O.K.  But you realize, don't you, that this means we have to stretch our muscles too?" I was mumbling to the pillow, however, since Bill was already up and stretching.   I did my graceful cat routine to get out of bed: Neeaaahhhhyyyy - Pumf.  Hmmm.   Now that I was lying face down on the floor, what could I do to appear as though I were really stretching?  Ow..  Ow... OWWWWW!  My muscles let me know in no uncertain terms that my actions were not acceptable.  Oh well... beat my body into submission, and all that. As we stepped out the door, a transformation occurred.  The early winter sunshine was just beginning to break across the eastern hills.  The frosty morning air brought the blue sky into a sharper focus than normal. The hills, trees and ground were covered with a light skiff of virgin snow, and it appeared that we were the first ones to leave our footsteps on the path.  There is a point on our normal walk where a burbling stream meanders close to us.  It is always one of my favorite parts of the trail, but yesterday, it was magical.  I had to slow down to see how the incredible ice structures that had formed on the rocks, and listen to the current that was creating marvelous sounds and textures in the water.  It was one of those never-to-be-repeated moments that one tries to firmly capture in the mind. "Bill, this is glorious!  It's so beautiful, so peaceful.  It's like a mini-vacation... I'm so glad you suggested this." Today, my dear husband again said, "Let's go for a walk!" Remembering the unexpected beauties and delights of yesterday made it much easier for me to roll out of bed.  I actually sort of endured the stretching part without feeling sorry for myself. Slam! Hmmm.  With the door closed behind us, we faced the outside world. There was no blue sky.  There was no gentle sunshine, no new snow. Everything was grey - grey sky, grey sidewalks, grey mist rising from the stream.  I don't like grey. We started walking.  For the second day in a row we walked, without the benefit of having walked for several days prior.   Huff and puff; breathe in, breathe out; one foot then the next... Hmmm.  I was not a happy camper, nor was this a fun time. Actually, at a point one-third the way through our walk, instead of having rosy red cheeks from the biting cold, I was beginning to turn green from nausea.  I have NEVER felt like this before on our walks. "Uh, Bill?  I think I'm going to be sick." He looked at me with sharp concern and then steered us for home. "Please, dear God, don't let me make THAT kind of spectacle of myself!!!" My thoughts whirred around in my brain, trying to discover the reason for being green.  Could it be the rich dessert of tiramisu that I indulged in last night?  Could it be that I didn't drink enough water before we left? Could it be that I have the flu?  Could it be the sheer ugliness of all this grey? Well, the good news is that I got home.  And we'll leave it at that.  As I said at the beginning: yesterday was the best of times, today was the worst of times." Now, will you permit me to draw a parallel between this true account and the realities of homeschooling?   There are days when we, through sheer discipline, force ourselves to start school in the morning. And, all of a sudden, without a breath of warning, school becomes a magical time for us and our children. It was the age of wisdom; the epoch of belief; the season of light! "Mommy, why did Jesus die?" "Daddy, I did all of my math problems, and I didn't miss ANY!!!" "Mommy, I've been thinking about Alexander the Great and his soldiers.  How could they have really conquered all those places in just ten short years?" "Mom, as I've been reading through the U.S. Constitution and the Amendments, I discovered a rather disconcerting scenario made possible by the 25th Amendment." "Father, I believe that the Bible is true.  I need, though, to learn some of the historical, archaeological, scientific proofs that will help me in communicating this to non-Christians.  Will you help me?" Whew!!!  These are the times that our hearts soar with joy and gladness that we have entered into this homeschooling adventure.  What a precious, awesome privilege it is to be able to teach our children and explore the answers to these questions. Then there are the days where we start off fine:  breakfast on the table, laundry in the washing machine, and pencils sharpened.  But, somewhere along the line, the day goes sour.  The cat gets sick on your new bedspread, your favorite coffee mug is dropped and shatters, the mail comes with an overdrawn notice from the bank, and your kids complain because school is "boring".  It was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of darkness! (Again, thank you, Dickens.) Hmmm.  Are these the same kids that I was teaching yesterday?  What are the reasons I thought this was such a glorious thing to do?  Am I going to make it through this day with my sanity and good humor intact?  (Maybe not!) One of the realities of living daily in a sinful world is this: Some days are not enjoyable.  One of the wonders of living daily with the Lord is this:  He gives us another new day every 24 hours.  So we keep on keeping on. And, since we know the He is faithful to keep us, we give thanks. The down-to-earth, practical, real-life truth of homeschooling is that there will be some days we soar with the eagles, and some days we scrap with the turkeys!  And most days, we do what God has given us to do with diligence and thankfulness. "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart."  Galatians 6:9 Blessings, Diana Return to the List of the BOTCW Columns

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