REDISCOVERING LIFE

Spring Rain into the Gutter, Jamestown, NC

There are people who really didn’t have much of a childhood due to a variety of factors and there are those of us seniors that simply have a hard time remembering back that far.  But like all things in life there can be second chances, especially if you are fortunate to rediscover life through the lens of a child.  And one of the many positive experiences that can come out of this social isolation for those who take the time to reflect is spending more time with the inquisitive children that make up the fabric of our lives.

Jesus was often criticized for spending too much time with human beings such as children and sinners instead of important leaders of the time.  But he famously rebuked his disciples when he told them to ” let the little children come to me” for they haven’t yet acquired all the filters and baggage of seeing the world through the biased eyes of us adults.

Yesterday my grandson was outside walking the rain-soaked streets of Chicago with his parents.  He was quick to discover two common earth worms that had come topside because of the saturated ground.  It was a sight that most of us adults would have easily passed over with indifference.  Then on today’s walk he discovered that one had been trampled and the other was missing.  He understood that the first worm had lost its life on the busy path but the other must surely have escaped into the rushing waters of the gutter and down into the drains.  

When I was a child growing up in central Kansas before the loss of innocence, I remember that we children loved to stay close to the curbing after a Spring rain.  Once the flow slowed, it became great sport to build small mud dams and capture the runoff as it meandered down to the gutters.  Of course, we were barefoot and carefree in those days and I don’t recall finding any earth worms.  But if we did, I’m pretty confident in those innocent times that we would have let them pass onto freedom.  The Carolina rains today prompted me to recall those idyllic days and venture outside in the rain to capture a meaningful photograph of those childhood memories.

Life can be fragile, especially in dire times of a worldwide pandemic, but it can also be introspective for those who are paying attention.  And it can teach those of us who are willing to learn the lesson.

SOMETHING TO LOVE--REVISITED

October Blue Ridge Parkway, Linn Cove, NC

I’m still lovin’ the lyrics from the songbook of Jason Isbell’s album The Nashville Sound.  Some of the lyrics from the track Something to Love include:

“I hope you find something to love,

Something to do when you feel like giving up.

A song to sing or tale to tell,

Something to love,

it’ll serve you well.

Just find what makes you happy,

And do it till you’re gone.”

I enjoy singing along with relatable lyrics or music that matches my mood at the time, but I’ve never been encouraged to seek a recording contract or join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!  Of course, many lyrics to songs also tell a tale, especially country songs.  Those tales become relatable when they touch home with our own life experiences.  Jason has a good message.  I believe it’s important for good mental and even physical health to focus on something we love and it doesn’t have to be just one thing either!  If we have a life partner it’s good to share some of these things, but having a few apart from one another can be healthy also.

I learned this lesson many years ago and it has served me well through those ensuing years.  Its nice to find a job you love so you never have to work another day the rest of your life, but that may simply not be available or not pay enough to support your family.  That’s where it’s important to find something off the clock that doesn’t have to pay anything.  In fact, it will probably cost some bucks which can be funded by your regular job.  And if that activity gives you pleasure and frequently takes your mind off the issues of your primary job for a short time, that’s an investment worth every cent.  As my wife used to say, “that’s much cheaper than therapy”, although therapy can be beneficial at times!

I’ve observed that the things I love doing the most involve being creative.  One of the key attributes of our creator is that he is always creating and we were created in His image, so that figures.  Everything in this existence including every sunrise is a new creation!

I’ve always enjoyed yard work and planting since I’ve reasoned that I still have a bit of inherited dirt coursing through my bloodstream.  All of my grandparents were raised on rural Kansas farms and managed farms to sustain their families which included my father and mother.  My good fortune along with my other cousins was the inherited DNA those good folks bequeathed to all of us, as we were the first to be born and raised in the postwar economies of our urban lives. 

The game of golf has provided a diversion for most of my adult life.  It gives me the opportunity to get out into nature and enjoy the company of people that I can be around five hours or so on a regular basis, provided the temperature is above fifty degrees.  Playing the game has opened endless opportunities to expand my personal and business social network way beyond anything I could have imagined.  I enjoy researching and trying all the changes to golf improvement equipment which has kept me in the game all this time.  And trying to keep in the game by staying fit gives me the incentive to join a gym and actually attend it!  Every golf shot requires us to be creative.

I’ve also written about my life-long romance with vehicles.  I’m certain that I’ve driven a multitude of vehicles over a million miles so far and I still enjoy the freedom of the open road with “nowhere to go and nowhere to be”, to quote another one of my favorite country philosophers, Kenny Chesney.  I like to drive and listen to instrumental jazz that suits the moment like Dave Brubeck’s Take Five when driving a sports car and pushing the limit out on the endless concrete ribbons of interstate highways.  Or I’ll select a meditative version of Miles Davis’ Generique while chillin’ out on the colorful Blue Ridge Parkway curves in October.  

I’ve had the privilege of living a full life which has provided a lot of tales to tell as I press pause and look in the rear view mirror.  If I didn’t enjoy the creative process of writing, I wouldn’t have been encouraged almost ten years ago to start a blog.  This blog has provided a lot of enjoyment and the release of creative juices that would have probably never been realized without this avenue.  It has provided an outlet combining two interests of both writing and photography.  It inspires me to read more current news articles and human-interest stories, including new releases of non-fiction books.  If I’m going to exchange my limited life hours for the pleasure of reading a book, I not only want to be entertained, but I want to also learn something in the process!  Photography and creative writing also keep me alert to the world around me for inspiration, including traveling, volunteer work, teaching classes and listening to music.

And once I discover something to love, you can bet your bottom dollar it’ll serve me well till I’m gone!

APPRECIATION

Garden Cone Flower, Jamestown, NC

“If you love a flower, don’t pick it up.
Because if you pick it up it dies
and it ceases to be what you love.
So if you love a flower, let it be.
Love is not about possession.
It is about appreciation”.
--Osho

Years ago my wife Karen and I were hiking in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of the White River National Forest near Aspen, Colorado. We had been there before and I’ve often said that if God had been asked to design and build a cathedral, it would have been here nestled among the twin maroon colored peaks surrounding a clear blue mountain lake in a glacial valley of wildflowers. The area is reputed to be the most photographed spot in colorful Colorado. I had my trusty Nikon with me loaded with my favorite slide film. I really like the digital camera I use now, however.

We had happened along a fallen pine tree near the most beautiful wild mushrooms growing in the decaying forest floor near the trail. I paused to gather my gear and photograph the image. Fortunately, I was able to capture a few moments in time before a family of four rounded the trail and approached us. The two small children noticed that we were admiring the colorful mushrooms, walked over to us unattended, reached down and pulled them out of the ground. I just stood there aghast as the parents praised them for finding such wonderful things and they casually continued up the trail.

As the family moved almost out of hearing range, I commented to Karen that it was a good thing no one else wanted to enjoy the beauty of those mushrooms. It’s never a very good idea to tell other parents how to raise their kids, but they had blown a teachable moment. And then as we later rested near the public parking lot we noticed the family piling into their van close to a park ranger sign that read “Take only memories, leave only foot prints”. I hope the parents at least read the sign on their way out, since it was apparent they had missed it on the way in.

That incident has stayed with me for all these years, possibly because it plainly illustrated the need to teach our children about being considerate of one another and the world around us. Sadly, the main memory I took from that hike wasn’t of the beautiful wild mushrooms in a national forest, but the callous lesson that those parents defaulted to their children. I now generally enjoy the flowers in my garden all the way through their life cycle with few exceptions. And there’s one particular Native American Indian Proverb that has always been one of my favorite quotes regarding our environment:

“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children”.