Don't Miss Out on What's in Front of You (or Behind You, if that's the Case)

 December 7, 2018

Occasionally, I get obsessed with shopping for the “perfect” blankity blank. One time the search for raw silk ribbon had me wandering up and around the streets of downtown LA. I’ve bought at least 12 different types of body scrub, including something that looked and smelled like coffee grounds.  But I’m sure most of us have all been on that search for the perfect jeans.

You need a pair you can dress up. A pair that is comfortable. A pair that makes you look good. Something different.

So how excited I was when I found a pair that fit all the criteria above at a favorite store, their online side. What set them apart from any pair I’d ever seen was it had the most adorable flowery embroidery on the bootie.

This past weekend the jeans arrived. I eagerly tore them out of the bag and slipped them on.

Score.

They were soft. They were comfortable. And they fit! The jeans had a higher waist, cute buttons down the front, and of course, the unique embroidery.

The next morning was church, so I scoured the closet to find the right top and the right shoes for these perfect bottoms. Today was such a great day. (Don’t tell me you haven’t been so excited to fit into a pair of jeans/ a dress/ any other outfit that makes you feel so wonderful? When it happens, you have to relish it, right? Well, I had about another minute to enjoy my moment . . . )

Anyway, I did a quick final hair spray of the hair and started to head out to get to church on time, which is always a remarkable feat when it happens. My husband, who walked in the room to brush his teeth, let out a sort of gaspy grunt laugh. The kind that only causes one response from me: irritation.

“Do you KNOW what your jeans say?” he finally said.

“Of course I do. They don’t say anything. It’s a beautiful flower garden.” My irritation level was creeping up as my potential to get to church on time was fading.

“Uh, no.”

I looked at him with the don’t-mess-with-my-new-perfect-jeans, Sir.

“Your butt says, ‘Your ass is grass’!”

And it did.

And in my searching and my excitement and desire to be done searching, I never once saw any lettering on the backside.

I believe many of us can be a bit blinded this time of year. We give, give, give to our friends and family, but forget the lady next door who lives by herself. Or we fail to extend a little grace to the overworked folks behind every cash register in December, only thinking of the next place we need to be and how dare they make us wait an extra 10 minutes.

As you are rushing about this season (and hopefully enjoying every minute of it), remember the Creative Farm Girl and her inability to see what was so clear to others. Find those things in your day where you can make the life of another a little better . . . even if it’s as simple as pointing out inappropriate words written on their behind as they are heading to church.