The Hammock Confessions

I made an implusive purchase at Target a few months back and slapped down $100 for a hammock. I've secretly wanted one for a long time and in my mind I convinced myself that purchasing this hammock would be relaxing, spiritual, restful...pretty much any positive adjective I could find to justify this purchase, I told myself.
Now my relationship with this hammock started out a little rough. I literally wrestled with this thing to put it together. I could not get one end to stretch to the other end because the rope was so tight, but after much battle I won the war. Yet after all that work I'm not going to lie...the hammock sat for a long time without me in it. But in the past couple of weeks I have rediscovered my hammock....the one I needed so badly.....and I love it. It has become my thinking spot...and also makes a good napping spot.
As I lay in my hammock this evening I realized it's one of the few places that can actually keep me still. For me there is something about laying suspended in the air where my only view is up that just slows me down. My mind slows down, my breathing slows down, and for that period of time I don't feel the need to make sense of the world. I am able to take in the beauty of the sky, the rustle of the leaves, the chirping of the birds, and just take in the beauty of the Lord and lay in his presence. He has captured my attention there several times over the past week and he has also given me sweet rest in that very same place. I don't really know what I'm going to do in the winter when it's cold...maybe my thinking spot will have to change or maybe I'll just grab a blanket, but for now it's my sweet spot. The Lord used my impulsive purchase to meet with me, to give me rest, and to remind me of who he is. I would say that's well worth the $100 bucks, wouldn't you?