Promptings of the Spirit

Ok, I'll admit it: I bought my first piece on Craig's List last night!  We've been looking for another bookcase for a while, and I've been haunting the local Goodwill with no results, so I finally broke down and checked CraigsList.

There was an almost perfect one right at the top, recently listed, exactly the size I was looking for, and oak to boot, only $50.  So I emailed the image to my hubby, then wandered upstairs to see what he thought.

Now, I happened to be wearing a favorite pair of crop pants (first time this summer, because this is the first week it's been warm enough to shed my usual jeans) and while I was standing in the door of his office I noticed there was something in the pocket.  Lo and behold, $50!  I grinned and told him it was a sign, called the seller, and half an hour later we were on the road to Port Orchard, an hour's drive away. 

The lady was very nice, introduced us to her new dog (a rescued Cairn Terrier, 5 years old and adorable but definitely a handful) and pretty soon we had loaded the shelves into the car and were on our way home.  There was an A&W rootbeer stand on the way out of town (fond memories from our childhoods, so we stopped and had those big glass mugs of root beer, yum; who cares about the diet!) and then paused again along the way to photograph this amazing sunset over the Olympic Mountains.

I know: I get that it wasn't necessarily God telling me to go spend money, I mean -- get real!  But we got to spend a lovely time together, sharing stories, away from our computers, met a new person, played with a lovely dog, got a beautiful drive, a trip down memory lane, and some great photos -- all out of being willing to respond in the moment.

I just love doing things on the spur of the moment; do you?  If you do, I have this theory: you must have been raised East of the Mississippi!  Please tell me I'm wrong if you can, but it always seems to me that West Coast folk are not nearly as spontaneous as East Coasters; everything seems to need to be scheduled in advance out here.

... and yet I think of these folk as more spiritually adventurous.  So how does that work?  How can you listen to -- and act on -- the promptings of the spirit (and appreciate the blessings that arise when you do respond) if you're always on a schedule?

I'm just sayin...