"Kindness"

 

                                             Resurrection Church in Santa Cruz, California

    My son participated in community service work through the elementary school he was attending. David is the adorable little boy with the glasses. He wears contact lenses now and six years older, soon to graduate high school. During the school year, the junior high pull together to feed the homeless once a month. An email is sent out to students' parents who want to participate with a sign up sheet attached. "Would you like to bring main course, side dish, dessert, drinks or plates and utensils?" The meals weren't coordinated to the tea so to speak, but they always turned out perfect.

    On this night, we brought a main course dish to share. Not only were the kids learning to be of service to the homeless in our community, but they were learning about giving "their time" to others. Our time is  a precious gift. Especially, when we give of our time to listen. In the center of the photo, you can see an older gentleman enjoying his dinner. And he isn't eating alone. Part of this service is sitting down with a guest to have conversation and enjoy a meal together. Usually, what happens is the kids end up doing a lot of listening. This particular man had a lot to say! He was a Vietnam Vet and told a few light hearted stories. It was an unexpected surprise when David sat down next to him to have dinner. He gladly welcomed the gesture.

    There is something about food that brings people together; especially a home cooked meal. As their hosts, one night a month cots are also set up for them with blankets and sandwich lunch bags for the following morning when they have to leave. For this one night, a person with no place to call home can enjoy a home cooked meal, good company, a warm bed and a good night's sleep. ❤️

"Jack"

   Jack

        Do you have that one friend who disappears and resurfaces every 5 or 6 years? We do and Jack is that guy. My husband met Jack in Alaska after graduating high school in San Jose, California. They became friends and had a posse they ran with in Anchorage. Their lives were all about work and play, work and play. After five years of that lifestyle, Bennie (my husband) wasn't sure he could survive it for long without incurring serious health consequences, and came back to San Jose. He attended junior college and transferred to UNR in Reno, Nevada.

    It was in Lake Tahoe, Nevada that Jack and Bennie met up again. Jack was living in a very nice home on the lake ("millionaires row", often referred to). He invited us for a lovely dinner at his lake house. It was a whirlwind of a night and I haven't seen him since. Jack always managed to live large. He was charismatic, kind,  polite and charming; the son of a U.S. Airforce  four star General. Jack has traveled the world. It was about this time that my husband and I started a family. We didn't hear from Jack for several years. Up to this point, we still never knew how Jack made a living; we still don't! As time passed, we heard he was selling timeshares in Hawaii, living the life. He was nowhere to be found for many years after this.

    Thanks to Facebook, Jack was found. He spent some time in Thailand and other midwestern states. But, something had changed. We hadn't imagined Jack was the type of person to want to settle in a slower moving paced environment. Soon, he began to post a picture now and then. It was always a picture of him with his latest catch and a big old smile on his face. He put on a few pounds and seemed content.

     At present, he has settled down in Lake Ouchita, Arkansas. I've noticed many of his posts are reflections of the culture in Thailand. I often wondered why he never went back once he left. Jack's comment section looks like this: "Jack, where are you now?" "Hey buddy, been thinking about you!" "Jack, are you okay?etc. Seems to be he has found a spot he likes.

    Jack never married or had children. He has spent his life traveling and wandering. I often wonder why people do the things they do; their behaviors and such. Was Jack looking for something all these years? It seemed he always had the world in the palm of his hands.

    Maybe he was searching for that endless destination where he could stop and feel at peace with himself and just be. It seems as though his wandering has come to a cease. Jack’s passion for fishing is a common thread throughout  his adult life. He fished in Alaska, Lake Tahoe, Hawaii and now he's fishing in Arkansas. 

    I think Jack has found his spot and looks like he found his fish too.

   

                                                                       

"Iguana" an acrostic poem

 

                                                                          

                            I - independent (mama lays the eggs, covers them and leaves)

                           G - green iguana (found in the tropical rain forest)

                           U - unique (each species has its own unique adaptations)

                           A -  active? No (they mostly lie around all day, getting up for snacks)

                           N - native to South & Central America

                           A - arboreal - (long toes with sharp claws & long toes for tree top balance)

    I have 5 sons and I'm pretty sure as little boys, they each asked if they could have an iguana. Going to the local pet store was a field trip for them. We came home with fish, teddy bear hamsters and even a Norwegian Dwarf Bunny once. As adorable as iguanas are, they require a lot of care. They had to settle for catching lizards in our yard. We would keep them for a week or so, then let him go. Even those little guys are high maintenance. I had to go back to the feed store to buy live crickets for them to eat. It was fun watching them hunt their meals in their habitat.  I always had an old terrarium on hand in the garage. A must when you have little boys.

"A hike with my dog"

                                                           Hiking in Aptos, California

    I live in a place that has the best of both worlds, the ocean on one side and the forest on the other. This particular trail is a few blocks from my home, next to a junior college. My husband isn't much of a hiker, but my Boston Terrier named Rosie is. I always have a hiking buddy that is eager and ready to go.

    I wish I got on this trail more often, but I don't. This was the simpler part of the trail. You can take a trail in a different direction and upward into the mountain. I want to take that trail, but there is a sign that stands in my way. It's a sign that explain how should you encounter a lion, do not look at it directly in the eyes and back away slowly. I feel a bit silly standing in front of it, wishing I had the courage to follow this trail, as a trail rider or a hiker or two walks around me and heads up the trail. Why can I not  compose myself and be rational. There has never been a lion attack on a human reported in the forests of Aptos that I know of. Silly, I know!

    Wildflowers, birds singing , sunshine or a crisp day...it's the perfect escape from the mundane. I often get too caught up in household duties and competing against my planner, that I forget life is to be lived every day, not just once a week or maybe on the weekend. No more "I should do this" or "I should do that" when I have time. (The fact is...I do have time). 

                                                                

    I'm pretty sure as time passes, I'm not going to regret the times I didn't check everything off on my planner for Tuesday, but I will regret not taking in that sun rising over the ocean or putting on my cap, grabbing my dog and heading for the forest. 

                                               I know what I'm doing tomorrow morning.

    

    

"Getting Older"

 

 I wonder how many more sunset walks like these we'll take. This is a shot of our walking route. It's a 2 mile walk down the Esplanade at Sea Cliff State Beach. We have been watching the sun set here for years. That is my husband taking in the moment. There have been times when the sky looks like it's on fire. 

Every sunset is different, the same like every day of our lives is never the same. 

For me, I am at the stage in my life where not only am I aware that I'm getting older, but I am feeling it. This year, I have been overcome with feelings of no longer caring about what the world thinks of me, but caring more about me being true to myself. The days of keeping up with the latest of everything are behind me. I'm also not worrying about things I have no control over and accepting that every person is entitled to their own journey. I have had my share of worrying raising six children! Over it. I do what I can and ask God to watch over them. 

I had long hair and chopped it off two weeks ago. I no longer have to fuss with it in attempts to style a big hair look and constantly feel frustrated that it just doesn't look or feel right. Well, now I know why - because that wasn't me. I felt a sense of liberation  when I cut my hair into a very short layered bob. And I love it. My husband loves it and he loves me. He just wants me to be  happy. I let go of my hair. Is that how we achieve happiness, by letting go? This blog could go in so many different directions.

I was wondering if men go through a mental and emotional transition  or awakening as they enter their late 50's or early 60's. I know for my husband, he is more eager now travel. He wants to enjoy life and is more motivated today to be physical and socially active than ever. It can get kind of tricky when he is an extrovert and I am an introvert. We make it work. Again, another blog topic...

This has been a good year for me. I suppose I am thinking of myself less, in service to my community, keeping things simple, letting go of things and thoughts that don't serve me and letting the universe open doors I'm supposed to be going through. 

And yes, I do have a few physical pains, a couple of achy joints and I endured a double bunionectomy/osteotomy in early November of 2021. I have new beautiful feet and I push through the morning pain. Once I start moving, stretch and give thanks for another day - I am good to go! 

This getting older thing isn't so bad 🧡

"Man Fishing" (haiku)

 

 

                                                                                                                        

                                           Early Morning Fisherman on the pier

                                                      Foggy morning on the pier

                                                   Another attempt to reel in a fish

                                                         Maybe today is his day

"The Eagles"

 

    My husband I enjoy going to concerts and have our favorite bands of the 70's. What a great year for rock music!  The Eagles are one of our top three bands. We have seen them numerous times. We flew to Vancouver to see them. We read they were playing at Rogers Arena and found it a great excuse to go to Canada. Great concert in a great city. It was a treat seeing Vince Gill as a new member of the band too. He fits in perfectly.

    The photo above are the Eagles playing at the Chase Center in San Francisco. We saw them October of 2021. It's been a bitter sweet couple of years for the Eagles, losing their long time band mate Glen Frye. That's been the bitter part of their story. The sweet part is mid-center of this photo. The young man wearing the black hat, white shirt and black vest at the mic, is Glen Frye's son Deacon. The beginning of the concert started with a monologue from Don Henley, giving a little background on the band and bringing the audience up to date on where they're at now. Of course, they mentioned their brother Glen Frye and his passing and introduced his son Deacon Frye, who is now a member of the band. He is literally walking into his dad's shoes on stage with the Eagles. I got chills listening to him sing "Take it Easy;" a classic that was sung by Glen Frye. Also, in the monologue, stories were told of Deacon being a little boy showing up at band practice with his dad all the time. Little Deacon was soaking in the music and building dreams.

    We never know what plans the universe has for or where dreams start and dreams end.

                                                  

*(ironically, as I was typing this blog, I learned that today Deacon Frye made the decision to leave the Eagles Band)