Parable of the Corncobs

Today's post is courtesy of blog reader Bobbi. Once in a while, Bobbi will bless me with an e-mail in reply to my daily posts. Sometimes she challenges me. Sometimes she encourages me. Sometimes she provides ideas. Recently, she shared a story that my Stepping Over Quarters post reminded her of. 

Bobbi's mom talks about how when she was growing up, they used to throw whole cobs of corn into the feedlot for the cattle. After the cattle had grazed the corn, the kids were responsible for picking up the bare cobs for use as fuel to heat the house during winter. Bobbi's mother explains that her strategy was to seek out the best cobs she could find. Her mother's response: "Don't step over cobs looking for cobs." In other words, don't disregard what's right in front of you in pursuit of what's in the future. 

That's beautiful, isn't it!?!? Man, I can't even tell you how many cobs I've stepped over in my pursuit of cobs. It's so easy to miss what's right in front of us. The future is full of wonder, optimism, and possibilities......but so is the present! If all we do is look ahead, we miss the beauty and meaning of what's right in front of us. 

Guilty as charged. You can take me to my cell, officer. How convicting. I can proudly say I've become much better in this area in the past several years, but I can still easily fall into this trap. I can expressly point out days I failed to embrace the moment, all because I was fixated on the days ahead. I regret that. Unfortunately, I can't get any do-overs. Fortunately, I can learn from my mistakes and hopefully avoid similar outcomes in the future. 

Here's my challenge today. Don't step over cobs looking for cobs. Embrace the present. Squeeze every ounce of meaning from it. Enjoy it for what it is. Tomorrow will be here soon enough. When it comes, we can enjoy that, too. 

Bobbi got me again, and today, I hope she gets you, too. Enjoy those cobs!