better living through virtual hamsters
The other day I discovered I could add “gadgets” to my iGoogle Internet home page. For those of you who are have not yet been assimilated, Google is a search engine for finding information on the Web, but it also hosts a variety of other functions from mapping to networking—and an “iGoogle” service that allows users to customize the page that pops up when they first open their Internet access software. My page, for example, includes a nice picture of Ireland, links to news, recipes and the European (real) football association Web site, and my newest addition…
(Drumroll, please)
Clarence, the virtual hamster!
The program itself is simply called “Hamster,” and tells the computer to post a moving image of a hamster going about its daily routine in a little box on my computer screen. I named him Clarence. He’s very cute. He washes his little face and runs on his little wheel, drinks from his little water bottle and even took a nap the other day.
Clarence is adding more joy to my day than is altogether logical, but he’s serving as a helpful illustration of something I am trying hard to instill more deeply in my own psyche. I spend a lot of my time hoping and waiting for things to happen. In part, that’s a result of the place in which I find myself, still searching for the path God has chosen for me.
At least, I think I’m still searching.
What if this is it?
I rather hope not, because there are things I still feel called to achieve. The very presence of the question, however, raises a second, very important one. How much of my life will I miss in the midst of all this waiting?
God has charged us with many instructions and guidelines regarding how we should live our lives, but two have special resonance for those who, like me, perpetually find ourselves waiting and hoping. First, we are specifically called to live in the moment. And second, we are told we should live our lives in joy.
“…can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”—Matthew 6:27
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”—Psalm 51:12
Clarence the hamster may be no more than a few lines of computer code, but he reminds me several times each day that I am called to live in joy, appreciating every spin of the wheel. In the faithful living of each moment, the larger pattern will acquire form and shape. God has a plan for each of us… but part of that plan is now.
[Postscript: I've just discovered that if I double-click on Clarence, virtual hamster feed materializes and he starts eating! Joy that knows no bounds...]
(Drumroll, please)
Clarence, the virtual hamster!
The program itself is simply called “Hamster,” and tells the computer to post a moving image of a hamster going about its daily routine in a little box on my computer screen. I named him Clarence. He’s very cute. He washes his little face and runs on his little wheel, drinks from his little water bottle and even took a nap the other day.
Clarence is adding more joy to my day than is altogether logical, but he’s serving as a helpful illustration of something I am trying hard to instill more deeply in my own psyche. I spend a lot of my time hoping and waiting for things to happen. In part, that’s a result of the place in which I find myself, still searching for the path God has chosen for me.
At least, I think I’m still searching.
What if this is it?
I rather hope not, because there are things I still feel called to achieve. The very presence of the question, however, raises a second, very important one. How much of my life will I miss in the midst of all this waiting?
God has charged us with many instructions and guidelines regarding how we should live our lives, but two have special resonance for those who, like me, perpetually find ourselves waiting and hoping. First, we are specifically called to live in the moment. And second, we are told we should live our lives in joy.
“…can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”—Matthew 6:27
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”—Psalm 51:12
Clarence the hamster may be no more than a few lines of computer code, but he reminds me several times each day that I am called to live in joy, appreciating every spin of the wheel. In the faithful living of each moment, the larger pattern will acquire form and shape. God has a plan for each of us… but part of that plan is now.
[Postscript: I've just discovered that if I double-click on Clarence, virtual hamster feed materializes and he starts eating! Joy that knows no bounds...]
I have actually just gone on a hamster hunt - but came across a 'Get the Kettle On' Gadget. With my love of tea - this had to be downloaded!! I now have a shiny red mug on my laptop's dashboard :) The hamster will have to wait its turn!
ReplyDeleteLiving in the now can be very difficult when your eyes and mind seem fixed on the future - but I totally agree with you that the now is important - and is to be lived with joy.
Off to enjoy the moment and click on my new red tea mug and see what happens! What fun!
Enjoying your posts! Thanks :)
Jo
Laura,
ReplyDeleteWith my line of work, I have often thought about the "what if this is it?" question in a more terminal sense. What if my end comes before I've "achieved" any of the plans in my life? I have come to realize that what makes my life the most enjoyable is finding a place where I am completely okay with who I am and what I have done here and now. As much as I'd love to see 50 more years of happy and healthy life, I try to be content in a way that I wouldn't feel cheated if the universe reclaimed me tomorrow.
I really feel that the problem with a "bucket list" is the suggestion that one's life up until now hasn't been complete enough. Maybe a better exercise would be to create a Legacy list - all the things you are proud of already having achieved and blessed to have experienced.