I’m sitting at Whole Foods in downtown Austin enjoying a chicken teriyaki bowl and a 
bottle of herbal water… lemongrass, mint, and vanilla, to be especially descriptive. This table, situated in the far corner of the upstairs eating area by the condiment station and microwave, is the very one I claimed week after week as an unabashedly nerdy film major from ’05 to ’09.
I didn’t think this spot would be free. It’s mid-afternoon on a Friday and the store is crawling with kids and adults starting the weekend early. The outdoor patio is also packed, graced with the colorful, carefree presence of hippies and hipsters no doubt making their way to the Austin City Limits music festival that kicked off earlier.
But my old spot was the only one unoccupied. Plugging my laptop into the wall felt like plugging myself into a time machine. I sit here unable to concentrate on my notes for an upcoming CrossFit course and instead let my mind settle on the surreal: the flashing images of nights spent up here typing away at a script, of early mornings spinning at the gym across the street, the afternoons sprawled out in study-mode on the lawn outside the “Six-Pack” in between classes, even the late, late nights engaging in outright, indefensible foolishness on Sixth Street.
On the one-hour drive in from San Antonio, I listened to the second part of a marriage series by Joyce Meyer. She and her husband Dave were being interviewed by Pastor Andy Stanley about the ups and downs, struggles and triumphs of their forty-five year marriage, one that began as a “nightmare,” according to Mrs. Meyer. Her husband Dave gave a bit of advice that resonated in my spirit:
One of the things that we always do is we reflect back on what God has done for us … It’s so important for Christians to reflect back on how God has led you, how far you’ve come. So often, people forget their past, like our country – we’ve forgotten our past. We don’t want to do that. We want to remember what God has done. That keeps us on track for our future.
I’m sure it would require an entire journal for myself, as well as anyone reading this post, to play “Connect the Dots” with the Creator-carved path leading us from the amorphous fog of yesterday to the bright, bursting fields we thank Him for today.
“ That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.” -2nd Corinthians 5:7 (MSG)
Three years ago before graduating college, I never would have fathomed I’d be married to Ben , a man who makes me fall in love with him more every day. I couldn’t have guessed I’d be a CrossFit coach, educating and encouraging others concerning their spiritual and physical wellness in our very own CrossFit box. I also never would have envisioned a life without my Dad here to share it all with.
Every up and down along this path, every shadowy valley and immaculate vista, all has been a stepping stone toward this literal window of reflection. In this moment, I sit where I sat over three years ago when I watched traffic of Sixth Street and daydreamed, wondering who I’d be “when I grew up.”
So much has happened. So much has changed. All that’s stayed the same is this quiet, little table in the corner of Whole Foods… and the One Who’s led me, fed me, carried me, cared for me since Day One. “Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me…”
Stay fit, stay faithful ~<3 Di