Side Effects May Include

We've all seen those commercials. Half the time, I don't even know what the drugs are for but my husband and I always think,"Who would take these?" You see a bunch of people running through a field, lots of laughter, maybe people smelling things or playing some kind of sport that's clearly a breakthrough for them and then, bam. Side effects may include...and the list would be comical if it weren't so awful. Written in tiny little print..oh, by the way, if you take this, while you'll enjoy frolicing through a field and playing with your kids, you may also find yourself suffering from about 100 other unpleasant bodily issues. Tempting.

These past few weeks I've done a lot of driving, so I've had a lot of that quiet time in the car to myself that parents rarely experience. Time to think, to listen to the music I want to listen to, maybe even a good book on cd. This new role post-sabbatical has been good, it's been just what I've needed to ease back into life, to work on developing my gifts and to try some new things and enjoy implementing what I learned on my sabbatical. And I got to thinking, on my late drive back last week about what a commercial would look like for a well-balanced and unharried life.

Certainly, I pictured people frolicing through flower beds (Hurry up, springtime, so I can garden!), playing sports without worry about joint pain (Yay, volleyball!) and keeping up with the questions of crazy kids ("Why is the air clear, Mommy?) But what really got me thinking was how the fine print on the bottom of the screen would be so radically different from that of Viagra or the new greatest blood pressure medicine out there.

Name of the drug: MARGIN. Side effects may include: unexplainable and prolonged smiling, restedness resulting in increased levels of energy and vitality, heightened sense of God's presence, sporadic episodes of loud car-singing and dancing, empowered ability to say "no", enhanced feelings of trust and peace, occasional euphoria and chronic healthy perspective. Do NOT consult your doctor before using. Just take it.