Vigilance, Reality and Country Living

Vigilant: alertly watchful especially to avoid danger

If you’ve ever driven anything or even been a passenger in anyone’s vehicle you know how important it is to be vigilant at all times. Bikers know this can be life saving and that we all need to do our part in order to avoid danger. Things can change in a split second if we let our guards down.

I’ll admit my awareness and my thoughts when I’ve been riding recently are not thoughts I ever would have dreamed thanks to the appearance of this crazy virus/pandemic. This also means we must be vigilant in every aspect of our lives. Being outside and getting exercise following the social distancing guidelines is allowed and for that I’m thankful. I prefer to be outside rather than inside for sure, it’s how I was raised. I have noticed over the past week or so when I’ve been riding that traffic is definitely lighter than normal, as it should be with a “stay at home” order in place. Saturday, specifically, when I went for an afternoon ride after some outdoor work at home, I saw more vehicles than I expected to see on the main highway, but still much less than the normal for a Saturday afternoon. Once I was on the country roads I rode approximately an hour seeing only 3 cars, 1 of which was a mail lady.

I will admit it was quite refreshing to have the road and scenery to myself. I can assure you the farmers are still hard at work as was very apparent by the pungent aroma of turkey/chicken manure that had been spread on many fields along my countryside adventure. There was however the sweet smell of wisteria as well. The first time I noticed smelling it was a few days ago when hubby and I went riding together and it’s still emitting that wonderful scent. It smells and looks like Spring here in the south. By the looks of some of the lush green fields, the first hay cutting will be underway soon. I hear the songbirds rejoicing each day with their unique sounds making a chorus that can’t be beat as I get ready to head out to ride.

On another ride earlier this week I as usual had no destination in mind and found myself on a wonderful country road that again reminded me of home, where I grew up, 1000 miles away. I’ve lived here going on 31 years and am still discovering new roads. I was meandering through the country on a familiar road when I realized someone wanted to tailgate me. That’s the last thing I can enjoy when riding so I turned on this unfamiliar road in a effort to get away from them. They too turned, but soon turned again and were gone from my rear view mirror thankfully. Now it was just me and my bike once again, social distancing at its finest.

Along the way I passed through what appeared to be a large family farm. It reminded me so much of a farm that belonged to friends of ours, the only difference was this was a beef farm, not a dairy farm. The rolling hills and green pastures, the large barn (where I envisioned myself walking through them barefoot as I’ve written about previously), smaller sheds, the farm house, silos, and all of the equipment needed by farmers today. It was a reminder of simpler times and a way of life that will always be needed as long as there are people to be fed.

Throughout these recent therapeutic excursions I’ve noticed something else. Homes that typically looked like nobody was home with what appeared to be decorative rocking chairs on porches are now being used. Families and couples are now gathered on those porches rocking. Older couples are now sitting in lawn chairs out on the driveway watching vehicles pass by and offering a wave. Parents are taking their children to a now empty parking lot at a church or fire department and watching them ride a bike or a tricycle. All of these occurrences are a welcome site to see. We as a society are being forced to slow down and enjoy the little things that used to be common.

I purposely avoid watching/reading the news for the most part. I refuse to listen to the slighted gloom and doom they want to provide. I understand the severity of the problem, but I also know that many good people are stepping up and helping neighbors and other people they don’t even know. Many people are recovering from this awful virus and their stories are mostly ignored. I’ve thought while I rode about the comments I have seen and heard that many can’t wait for things to get back to the way they were. I’ve pondered quite a bit about that as I’m cruising along and honestly I hope we never return to “the way things were.”

We’ve learned we don’t “need” to focus on the athletic venues, concerts, and other highly paid “entertainers.” We don’t need big houses, fancy cars and expensive non-essentials. Our kids don’t have to be on the go all of the time with pressures for ball games, gymnastics, dancing, ballet, and the hundreds of other things competing for their time. What they really need is quality time together as a family, not running a million different directions. Family conversation, eating meals together, learning to garden, and cook and do things together as a family. Those are the important things in life. Those other additions can have their place indeed, but should not come at the expense of losing quality family time and learning important life skills. Look around your own community, who are now considered the essential workers? That alone should speak volumes to us as a society.

Travelling around on my bike I’ve also taken notice of churches and church signs. I’ve seen little country churches that have stood the test of time and are absolutely simple but very beautiful. They most likely don’t have expensive sound systems, stages, or screens for power point projections during their services and yet many souls have been saved there I’m sure. I’ve seen some large modern churches that most likely have all of those things. Now that gathering to worship is against the social distancing and stay at home orders, does the church building and it’s set up truly matter?

Many pastors are now going to YouTube and live Facebook feeds to preach the gospel, their audience can be thousands, it can be shared and it can be viewed again and again from your own home. The message is still being delivered minus the “entertaining” aspect many have come to use to try to attract more people that they say might otherwise not come to church. I guess time will tell if that’s truly the case now, or if maybe that’s just another non-essential part we’ve become accustomed to. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against singing and instruments in the worship service. My point is that the message preached, God’s word, should be the focal point of the service. Church signs are now more than ever promoting Jesus and sharing encouraging words, not promoting upcoming “entertainment” opportunities. The focus is now on feeding the hungry, both physically and spiritually.

As I close out now I’d like to share with you some of the lyrics to a song by 4Him titled, The Basics of Life” :