Life is not flat. It has a shape and texture.

The texture of our days begins in the mind. The mind is life’s repository where the files of our days are stored. When all is in order, the files run smoothly. But trust life to get hectic, the car to break down, the money to run low, the schedule to get crowded – and the mind goes into emergency mode.

Sometimes it can resemble a back alley. You’ve seen those plots behind city restaurants where the cook’s assistants discard the cardboard containers. Boxes piled upon each other in no certain order, just a jumble of this and that, needing to be disposed of.

At other times, the mind can be like a shipping warehouse, full of good things, waiting to be opened up and used. The plain brown of the package conceals the potential that’s stacking up, needing an outlet.

The mind stores appointments, to-do lists, holiday plans, relationship needs, church obligations, and family calendars. These boxes of this and that stack up, creating chaos and pushing out peace.

Sometimes I need a forklift; sometimes a pair of box cutters. Sooner or later, I start ripping into boxes and try to bring some order to this clutter of mental data.

Time to move this stuff out — another load is coming.