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Tag Archives: life

Milestone

20 Sep

Three score and a couple years ago, I spewed forth to being upon this continent, to the pure joy of my parents, and the utter chagrin of my older brothers. Since that time, the reviews would be a mixed bag among the other humans that I’ve made contact with. That’s likely not unusual for most people who make it this far. That number is a milestone for a number of reasons. As such, it warrants a few moments and words.

I don’t believe that congratulations are deserved just for living ones life. Each of us has trials and tribulations, obstacles to overcome. Achievements. Pitfalls. Failures. Rebounds. So, what then is the point of a milestone? A review? A reflection? Just replaying ones great achievements seems too narcissistic to me. A sign hanging on the wall in my house speaks of, “the number of breaths you take in life is not as important as the number of moments that take your breath away.” So, as I reflect on the this milestone, what comes to mind are a few of those images, feelings, events, and people that stood out as special.

Some of the moments that have taken my breath away:

Watching bald eagles mating flights over the St Croix River.

Helping a woman bring her new daughter into this world.

Holding the hand of a dying stranger as his spirit left his material body for the last time and travelled to the afterlife.

Swatting my hand and killing eleven mosquitos. Then, after escaping into the safety of a nylon tent with my brother, we attempted to calculate the number of mosquito carcasses it would take to completely fill up the cylinders of a 327 cubic inch engine. (I no longer remember) Then, trying to get to sleep while listening to the buzz of a billion vengeful mosquitos, each yearning for one drop of my blood. What would I look like in the morning if the tent were not between me and them?

Seeing the ocean as flat and still as a mirror, not even a minor blemish as far as the eye could see.

The power of the thunderstorm crashing through a high mountain valley, lightning cracking all around making the air smell of ozone.

Standing and looking down at the actual documents that this country was founded on. Not photocopies or pictures in a book. the actual signed two-hundred year old documents.

Seeing the look of understanding appear in a student’s eyes for the first time after a dozen failed attempts.

Having a squirrel scamper down a tree, that I was sitting at the base of while deer hunting, and sit on my camouflaged hat/head not realizing that I was not part of that tree. He actually went back up the tree after several minutes without raising the alarm! I still don’t know how I kept from laughing while he sat there eating his acorns, dropping the hulls in my lap.

The Arizona Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, The Alamo, Gettysburg Battlefield. Just go to these places. You’ll understand the feeling once you get there.

I can’t begin to talk about the people. Way too many. Oh, how I want to. Even some of you reading this…

That’s some of my moments. Thank you for letting me reflect on them. In one of my favorite movies, “Meet Joe Black,” an a dying woman tells the doctor that, in the end, all life is about is collecting pretty pictures. That is what we take with us. I thought that was an interesting way to look at it. I’ll keep collecting mine and I hope you do too.

 
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Posted by on September 20, 2021 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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Mirage

19 Jul

Retirement has been great! I want to say that first, before you get the wrong idea. In the two months since I walked away from the treadmill of working for someone else, my mind has drifted back to the office three times. In each case it was because a friend called with a question. Otherwise, I have not missed the daily grind…at all.

Now my plans for retirement included making more time to write, more time to blog, more time on the archery, pistol, and rifle ranges, more time fishing, more time working on and driving my radio-controlled trucks, more time reading, and more time traveling with my wife. That was my plan before I actually retired. But plans are like the waves of heat rising from the sun-baked earth, a mirage. They are never quite what we think they will be.

The reality has been: two weeks of pre-planned medical appointments, landscape work, home repairs, landscape work, repair a utility trailer, landscape work, remove diseased trees and buckthorn (black locust), landscape work, a trip to Iowa, a trip to Chippewa Falls, and some more landscape work. Along the way, I did finish the final chapter revisions of my novel, Snake Rattles and start the second book in the series. I also have been able to squeeze in a new truck build that is almost complete. Almost. Oh, And I did make it over to MN for the Father’s Day traditional archery shoot.

As you can see the work and play balance has been a little lopsided in favor of work. I have learned two very important things. One, at sixty-one and a half, I can still work hard and do the things that need to be done physically. Two, my body takes a bit longer to recover from moving a couple tons of rock than it did when I was twenty-three. Thank you OTC anti-inflammatory products.

The good news is the back log of projects is getting smaller and I’m getting more comfortable with the new schedule. By the way, I have been right for the past forty years, a one-hour nap in the afternoon should be mandatory in the workplace. It improves attitude and performance in every worker in my household. Write your Legislators and demand that they make this a law. Hell, they should be able to fit it into one of those otherwise meaningless multi trillion dollar bills they seem to pass every other month. Oops, I broke my own rule. Sorry.

Anyway, I do enjoy my new situation. I believe the work/play balance will improve and my initial plans will become more of a reality. Like a long-range precision shooter, learning to read the mirage is a key skill to becoming successful. I will watch the waves of my plan and make adjustments as necessary until I feel I have achieved the right mix of want tos and have tos.

 
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Posted by on July 19, 2021 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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Reality

06 Nov

004

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do we respond when reality happens?

Most of our lives we go about chasing what we call our dreams. Professional athlete wannabes. Rock star wannabes. NYTBS wannabes.

We work to make money to afford the luxuries we call necessities. That pair of Jimmy Choo’s. That new computer or tablet. That 4,000 square foot house.

We try new things to keep our lives interesting. Take up gourmet cooking. Skydive. Run a marathon. We live vicariously though our children, hoping they will make it big where we failed, so they can support us in our old age.

John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans.” He hit the nail on the head, I think. But there are times when Life decides to autocorrect. When we think our lives are stressful and actually we are on cruise-control. Suddenly, the phone rings or the police car pulls up in front of your house…

“I’m sorry sir, but there’s been an accident…” You can fill in the blank with your own worst nightmare.

Life is no longer a passive thing that we just experience. It has just slapped us across the face with a cold wet fish and said “WAKE-UP! It’s time for a dose of reality.” The switch has been thrown, our train is heading down a new track, and our lives will never be the same!

What we say and do in response, helps to define what we have learned in life up to that point and our character is carved out a little more. It might be only one test that we face. Or, it might come at you in waves that seem to never end. Almost before the last news has fully sunk in, the phone rings again… And, three days later, the phone rings again…

It has been said that “God will not give you more to bear than you can handle.” That leaves a lot of room for interpretation. In whose opinion is it too much to handle? I have seen first hand what can happen when someone breaks. It is a frightening thing to witness.

One factor that can make a huge difference in our response, is the size and form of support system that surrounds us. Don’t kid yourself, you still need to deal with reality individually. However, having others to talk to, ask advice from, and sometimes just sit quietly with, can be the difference between making it through your ordeal and not. Support can come from the strangest places so don’t be surprised when a near-stranger stops by and offers a hand up.

The truth is, we will each handle the news differently. There is no right or wrong. You will do the best you can and only you know when you’ve reached your limit. Expect to be stretched beyond where you thought possible. It will happen.

Best advice for this situation: “Take it one day at a time. Do what you have to do to get through today. Worry about tomorrow when it becomes today.”

“This to shall pass.”

 

 
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Posted by on November 6, 2015 in Musings and Odd Thoughts, Other Strangeness

 

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Quote of the day 8/28/14

28 Aug

004

In April of 2013, I replied to a particular blog post. Unfortunately, I can not remember the name of the blog. However, the post related to making mistakes and trying to learn from them. I was feeling a bit snarky that day. The night before, I had screwed up a knife that I’d been making for a friend. It was the third time I had messed up the handle. But for whatever the reason, I made the following comment on the blog:

“We’re a product of our environment and experiences. Mistakes are a hammer on the anvil of life. Good steel must be hammered repeatedly…”

I wasn’t really thinking when I wrote it. The words just sort of came out based on my reaction to the blog post I’d just read. I don’t remember whether or not I proofed it before I hit send. I just moved on to the next blog. A few minutes after I posted the comment, a blog/twitter friend asked if she could borrow it. Puzzled but not overly so, I said yes. The next thing I knew, she had tweeted my comment. It wasn’t until I read the tweet that I realized what I had said. I liked it and it fit my life at that moment. What can I say, even I can be profound once in a while. 🙂

How about you? Have you ever made an off-hand comment that you later realized was profound in some way?

 
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Posted by on August 28, 2014 in Musings and Odd Thoughts

 

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Where did March go?

11 Apr

I am sorry for being delinquent in my postings. Somehow three weeks have disappeared from my life. Once in a while my other life takes control of my writing life. So, it’s time to wrestle control back and get to the important things in life.

There was some good news since I last visited with you. I have started going to a different writer’s group. It’s very well established with serious writers in my genre. I’m still getting comfortable with the new surroundings so I have made no submissions for critique yet. Though, I will be interested to hear what this group has to say. The other writer’s submissions have been keeping me busy with reading. I’ve also been reading some books by local authors.

With stabilization returning to my world, more fun posts will be forthcoming. We’ll start with something on back stories and there will most likely be a MAVEN update. Another post will discuss game apps and the time sink (Distraction) they provide the unwitting writer.

The snow is melting and the temps are balmy (40 degrees). Spring is in the air. Whoo Hoo!

 

 
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Posted by on April 11, 2014 in Other Strangeness

 

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