Food for Thought: 5 Minutes

Walk with me... as we continue the Food-for-Thought blowout extravaganza.

So...

I was listening to a CD of my favorite minister from my church, Minister Phillip. I've written about him before. His sermons are usually on identity crisis issues. That's a really complicated and hard topic, and he does a great job with it. He is from the islands, has that hard carribean accent so I have to pay attention, especially if he get to talking fast, lol. I don't wanna miss nuthin.
I come out of his sermons understanding my complicated self just a little better, feeling uplifted and equipped with a written plan of action!

And that's a good thing.

I don't catch up with sessions much, as the ministers are on rotation for morning bible studies. A couple of months ago, I happen to see one of his recent messages on CD so I copped it. I like to listen to things like that when I have to be in the car for awhile. (for me that means anything longer than 20 minutes. I only put 5000 miles a year on my car).

Anyway, I happen to be listening to this message, and he said something very interesting. I'll have to paraphrase it. The part in red is the most important...

You worry about the future. You wail about tomorrow. Get all depressed, let the circumstances get to you.

The truth of the matter is that you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Tomorrow isn't promised.

You can't even see 5 minutes in front of your face, people.

Hmm... I know he serious when we ends a sentence with "people".

He talked of how you don't know what's going to happen in the next 5 mintues.

Now hold on, I thought to myself while rolling down the freeway listening to this. He done gone to far with that.

I, LadyLee, can see 5 minutes in front of my face.

Now, when you spread time out wider, I can't say that I can see what's going to happen. I mean, I don't know what I will be doing 5 years from now. I can say what I want to be doing 5 years from now, but honestly, I don't know.

5 months from now becomes a little clearer. 5 weeks from now a little more clearer.

Then we get over into times periods closer to the present: 5 days, 5 hours...

5 minutes.

You can't even see 5 minutes in front of your face, people!

I have been off from work, including weekends, for 13 days. Oh me, oh my... man, I had all these vainglorious plans to do all these wonderful things when I was off. Cleaning my house from head to toe, get a bunch of writing done! Just all kinds of stuff.

Man. I didn't get half that stuff done. I did a lot of cleaning, but not all that I wanted to do. I may have laid a little over 3000 words on paper. And that was just since January 1st.

But all the plans I had, I didn't get done.

I really couldn't see 5 days in front of my face.

And 5 hours ago, I thought by now, by the time I wrote this post, that I would have my clothes together for work tomorrow and my lunch prepared. Just to save myself some time. Here we are, and I only have my lunch prepared (basically I put the leftover fragrant potato and chickpea stew from dinner in tupperware container and that is lunch for tomorrow).

Still gotta get my clothes together, though. (*lee listening out for that dryer buzzer*)

You see where I'm getting at.

But I was having a bit of trouble with this 5 minute statement:

You can't even see 5 minutes in front of your face, people!

This 5 minute thing... I get what he was saying, but dang man...
I, LadyLee, can see 5 minutes in front of my face.

I KNOW what's gonna happen in the next 5 minutes.

No sir! You can't tell me that I don't know what was going to happen in the next 5 minutes.

Or do I?

I didn't fully understand what he meant until I went to the thrift store today.

I fully understand that today.

So after morning bible study, I went to the thrift store. I was only gonna be in there for 5 minutes. That's my usual time.

But... But...

~echoing in my head~

You can't even see 5 minutes in front of your face, Ladylee.

(Should I make this a 2 part post? Yeah, man... I'll make it a two part post... To be continued.)