I stepped out into the morning air this past weekend and knew fall had arrived. Autumn officially began at 2:50 a.m. EDT on Saturday, September 23. Seems it was right on time. I checked the temp on my iPhone - 50 degrees.
That’s all the excuse I needed to bring out a flannel shirt. I am convinced flannel shirts; soft, comfortable, jeans and old boots are three of life’s simple pleasures.
You’ve heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going?” Well, that’s all well and good, but sometimes you need to land in a soft place. Sometimes, you need to catch your breath. Sometimes, you have a need to feel softness. That’s one reason I like flannel shirts.
My late mother used to say, “This life is no place for the faint hearted.” She was “spot on.”
M. Scott Peck began his classic book titled, The Road Less Traveled, with these words, “Life is Difficult.” He suggested the sooner you figure that out, and accept it as true, the sooner success will come to you, the easier will be your journey.
With that in mind, best we find places to rest mind, body and soul. Why not start with a flannel shirt when fall weather begins? Of course, there are other soft things and places that provide respite. A big, cushy recliner can offer welcome rest to tired bones. And how often have we failed to give thanks for a warm, soft bed when winter chills come calling?
I have often found a soft place in the fellowship of family and friends. I once observed a young, Hispanic father patiently working with his two pre-kindergarten daughters in a restaurant. As I prepared to leave, I stopped and complimented him on his efforts. I shall never forget his beaming smile, nor his words.
“Oh, sir!” he said. “Family is everything!” I believe that is true.
I tell young men, “Take care of your family.” A stable home life provides shelter from life’s storms. It is one of life’s softest places.
Another soft place can be found in the loving eyes of a friend. Everybody needs a friend. Sometimes that friend might be a dog or a cat. In the words of songwriter, Tom T. Hall, “Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes.” Unconditional love is another of life’s softest places.
And then, there are memories - memories of people you have known – the “salt of the earth” kind of people. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews referred to them as “a cloud of witnesses.” Thoughts of their kind bring rest and renewed courage to tired spirits.
Sometimes I find a soft place in the simple task of folding clothes, or ironing a shirt (That’s a lost art.), or polishing shoes, or canning green tomato pickle – simple, mundane tasks in which you can “lose” yourself.
Of course, get-a-ways are nice. Sometimes, you just need to get away. We all have experienced times “when we couldn’t see the forest for the trees.” Times when life was so busy and moving so fast that we lost perspective. I have found a soft place in riding a mule into the Grand Canyon many times, or visiting the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, or duck hunting in Canada, or driving in the Great Smokey Mountains.
Legend tells of how John, the Apostle, was one day relaxing as he tinkered with a pet bird. Someone asked if he had nothing better to do than focus his attention on such a trivial matter. To which he replied, “The bow that is always bent soon ceases to shoot straight.”
Soft places. We all need them. We all long to find them. Sometimes they are right in front of us, and we fail to see them. God’s speed in finding yours.
Copyright 2023 by Jack McCall
