Where Are You Going? Oregon? Or Yogurtland?

            I once picked up our 4-year-old grandson at his preschool near the end of the school year.  As I stepped into his classroom, several children came up to me. The first one said, “We’re going to Oregon!”  A second said, “We’re going to Yogurtland!”

            Those are two different horizons.

            We’ve had several friends who have relocated to Oregon, and they’ve found much to like.  Not as hot!  More water!  Not as crowded!  We enjoy visiting them.  Other people we know have moved out of California to other states – Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Washington state.  It’s a big decision.

            Yogurtland is not the same level of commitment, but it’s still pretty exciting.  Our grandkids have shown me how to do it. You make the 5-minute drive to the local shop. You go in, step up to the serving line, take a bowl, and enter the area where you choose from twelve soft-serve yogurt flavors.  When you see one you like, you hold your bowl under the dispenser, pull the handle, and out comes as much yogurt as you want. It’s hard to decide between options like “Birthday Cake Batter,” “Rocket Pop Sorbet” and “Sumatra Coffee Blend.”  But you don’t have to choose just one – you can fill your cup with several different flavors – all in the same bowl.

            Then you enter the “Toppings” section. There is so much to choose from! Gummy Bears…chocolate chips…diced almonds… miniature marshmallows…crumbled Oreo cookies…M & Ms…to name a few (of the ones I can remember).  Again, you can mix and match as much as you want.  And, you can say to yourself: it’s not like I’m indulging in ice cream – this is good-for-me-pro-biotic-yogurt.  When you’ve completed your masterpiece, you hand it to the clerk who weighs it. You pay, find a seat, and enjoy.

            Life is full of decisions.  Big ones, like moving to Oregon. Or less dramatic ones, like going to Yogurtland.

Recently I saw a comment from the writer David Brooks: “Instead of trying to understand the meaning of life, just make a 3-year plan.” 

That caught my attention — another set of two choices.  I’ve been trying to understand the meaning of life for as long as I can remember.  That’s why I studied philosophy in college, went to seminary, listen to the personal reflections of all kinds of people, and study spiritual traditions. I feel I’m getting closer to some basic conclusions.  But will something happen to me that interrupts my search, taking me out of the game before I’ve figured it out?  Or do I have another five, ten, or twenty years to keep searching?  There’s no way to know.

Jesus tells a parable of a person who had finally accumulated everything he wanted in life and figured he had plenty of time to enjoy it.   ^“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21)

I could go anytime.  Maybe I should go to Yogurtland more often.

But if I’ve got more years in my future, I’ve got to plan ahead – watch what I eat, exercise, keep up on my medical appointments, and manage our money the best I can.

I like the idea of making a 3-year plan. That seems doable.  Maybe visit other states and evaluate moving versus staying, setting a goal of making a decision in the next three years. Meanwhile, go to places like Yogurtland — but not too often.

And what is “rich toward God?”  I think it’s being aware every day of what a miracle this life is, no matter where you are.  And enjoying the simple blessings of life, no matter what you have for dessert.  And being useful to other people, including family, but also beyond family.  And being a responsible citizen.  And taking care of the earth.

Photo credits: Credits: Oregon Dept of Transportation, Yogurtland Los Angeles