Running Amuck?
Just a couple of days into the start of the New Year and things seem to be falling apart already?
I thought that I would check on definition of Amuck as for some reason this adverb is at the tip of my tongue. It seems to have an icky sort of stuck in the mud appeal. The official definition is quite severe: “To rush about in a murderous frenzy; to rush about wildly; to lose self control” (Definition.com). The first part definitely not, but the second part- maybe. Yes– as I try to get ahead of the laundry pile, take down decorations, clear a spot on the kitchen counter, and pay bills – yes, a mild feeling of rushing about wildly and losing self control. And, I have had my share of last year’s running in place on the hamster wheel. I’m not so sure if I want to get on that treadmill again.
The New Year starts out great. A clean slate. Then some snow dusts Chicago, an earthquake hits Japan, a relative breaks an arm, and another slips on the kitchen floor. I’m not too sure about those dieting and exercising regimen resolutions any more. I find myself sliding into old habits that will not leave quietly. I hate the old saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It is the worst saying in the world for those of us who really do try.
I know that there are a lot of people out there who try –both saints and sinners. January 5th is the Feast Day of St. John Neumann. He wrote some very beautiful words that I am sure arose out of his own experience of trying to do the best that he can:
“From this day, I will begin a new life. With the help of Your grace I will be patient, diligent, and devout. Show me the occasions in which I may practice my good resolutions. Grant, O Jesus, my request to love and praise You with my whole heart, with my whole soul, and with all my strength. Mother of Jesus, pray to your Son for me. Jesus be with me stay with me this day…”(Magnificat, January 2012, p. 73).
So I pick myself up and smile. Habitrail here I come. As I know that tomorrow brings on a new day…“for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything”(NAB, I Jn 3:20).