FLEAesta.

ya know...like fiesta? FLEAesta? get it? get it?
ha.

have you ever noticed that fleas know how to party? i mean come on--once you get over how annoying they are, you realize that they are living the life.

think about it:

they get to travel ANYWHERE they want for FREE!
(i promise that a couple will be traveling back to california with me in about a week and i won't even see them)
they've got hops and moves.
(one second they are invisible, the next they're doing crazy moves all over my feet and legs...lakers should recruit...)
they get community 24-7.
(fleas are always together. it is a guaranteed party wherever fleas are...you can bet they aren't alone)
they are in good moods no matter where they are.
(hiding in wood panels, cruising on the back of a dog, getting stepped on while hanging out in a rug...they still keep right on partying...)
they can't die
(okay so maybe that's a SLIGHT exaggeration, but come on...it's pretty hard to get rid of them...which means for them they don't have to ever worry about their friends...they'll never suffer harm...ha.)
though small they've got power
(have you SEEN the expressions on people's faces when they hear that there are fleas? they have the ability to get anything they want...)
they can party even when everyone and everything around them is miserable.
(their lives are smooooooth sailin'. doesn't matter how people are feeling, they are still able to live it up themselves)

how did i become an expert on fleas?
we have them. everywhere.
...and fiestas too.

i've been to lots of different styles of parties and celebrations since i've been here! 2 birthday parties, a wedding, a going away party, just to name a few. but people don't really need parties as an excuse to get together. it just kind of happens...always.

it is unusual to go a day without having any person stop by at all...in fact, i don't think that has ever happened since i've been here.

and each time it is like a fiesta...there are goodies, drinks, stories, laughter, and the enjoyment of the company of others.

the reason for the fiesta?
just to live life with the people around you.

isn't it a beautiful thing?
something i want to intentionally bring home...
...which won't be hard having summer additions to our family :)

God has given us people in our neighborhoods, at our jobs, in our communities to love (and also care for). why do we keep our doors shut and gates locked? are we protecting ourselves or just keeping people away?

being in community is risky...any relationship is.
but it is so worth it, and how we were created to live.

i guess i should take a lesson from the fleas...