I had no plans to go to Times Square on my recent trip to New York City. This was a quieter trip, meandering a couple days and spending time with friends I love the other days. But I was on a subway line that made an extra stop easy, and I wondered if I could find an M&M flavor not available in my area. It’s one of my daughter’s favorite flavors, and we assumed it was discontinued, but maybe in the city…

There weren’t a lot of people milling about. The construction threw off my bearings, but I made my way toward the store. On the way, I saw a man sweeping trash, cleaning up from the overnight crowd. It was going to take a while with his broom and bucket. I wanted to tell him it was a losing battle, a waste of time. But he was working. One piece of trash at a time, cleaning up one section of sidewalk at a time.

Perhaps I had the wrong perspective. Cleaning up Times Square wasn’t hopeless; it was job security.

We get tired of the mundane, but it provides some stability. Not everything can be new, exciting, and energizing. Sometimes what is challenging isn’t the unfamiliar but involves coping with the sameness. We want to toss it aside when we are bored, when we can’t find the meaning in it any longer. But the meaning is often found in the sameness. Drawing a line through the patterns can provide some stability. We still need to question the need for change. The man picking up trash still has different days. Sometimes there is more trash than others. Weather conditions can challenge his job. The crowds can make it more challenging. Then there are the everyday impacts of travel time, sleep patterns, financial challenges, daily stress. As much as every day feels the same, they are different.

Maybe you find yourself in a situation that seems hopeless. But perhaps it’s providing you the security you need right now in order to appreciate what you have, embrace the challenges, and welcome the opportunities. In my experience, that’s a blessing God provides. Questions and chaos coexist with the stability of hope and faith. We tend to distort reality by focusing on one or the other. We settle into the stability too far and fail to recognize any chaos we need to deal with or opportunities to grow we could embrace. Or we focus on the chaos, boredom, or discontentment and fail to appreciate on what and whom we can rely.

Widen your perspective today. Pick up the trash while you appreciate the journey.

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