Aging Capriciously

I hope you will enjoy my memories.  I also hope they evoke some happy memories of your own. 

Sitting on a dock in Galilee, RI watching the sun rise with a cup of hot steaming coffee.  The fishing boats are going out and will hopefully return with the lobsters and shrimp that Galilee is famous for.  The morning air is a little brisk and the wind blowing in from the Atlantic cooler now that Fall is here.  We will soon go for a walk down the beach and see what treasures we can find.  Three or four large quahog shells make good decorations where once they made functional ashtrays.  The world is far away, and our problems no longer exist. 

Putting another log on the fire.  The forest surrounds us, and we can hear the sound of night owls off in the pine woods.  It is a night with a full moon but still the flames light up the sky.  Sparks and fountains resembling fireworks blaze upward in the cool fall air.  Twisting, turning, the flames cancel out the moonlight.  We must balance being too close and getting singed by the fire with being too far from the heat and getting chilled.  Sometimes, we get choked by paths of smoke blown the wrong way by the wind.  When the fire is exactly right, we will toast our marshmallows and make smores.  The world is far away, and our problems no longer exist.

Laying on a soft bed of sand on a small island in the Caribbean sea.  Tufts of clouds drift by as our minds conjure up images of what the clouds portray.  The sand is so warm in the middle of the summer day that we need a blanket to keep the heat from burning our skin.  The heat feels good as our bodies are cooling off from the breeze that dries the salt water on our skin.  If we only stay a brief time, we can avoid needing any sunscreen lotion.  The sand cradles our limbs as we alternate between sleeping and meditating.  The world is far away, and our problems no longer exist. 

Gliding through a window wonderland of snow.  Like somewhat out of a fairy tale.  The trees are flocked with millions of snowflakes that glisten in the noon day sun.  A creek runs along the trail we are on.  The banks are covered with pure crystal ice while the middle of the creek sparkles with the water that escaped being frozen.  Further down the trail, we will come to the waterfall that will also be half frozen with diamond-like ice crystals and water cascading down to a deep blue pool below the falls.   If we stand still for a minute, we will almost always see a few deer off in the distance.  Perhaps they are surprised that humans can move so fast in the deep snow.  The world is far away, and our problems no longer exist. 

The sweat pours off my forehead into my eyes.  I dab at the perspiration so I can see where I am running with my trusty bandana.  The desert mountain trail requires concentration as it is littered with stones just waiting to trip me up.  I glance back and forth, looking forward and down.  A fall is inevitable, but I am prepared with knee and arm pads.  The large saguaros stand like sentinels honoring my approach.  Sometimes I pass between a pair of them on each side of the trail.  I say hello and hope they will get enough water this winter.  I continue my exercise.  Feeling blessed that I can still run these trails at 78 years of age and amazed at the beauty of the desert landscape.  Chollas, palo verde trees, ocotillo, prickly pears, diamond chollas, mesquite trees and many other flora that I do not know the names of stand like an army ready at attention.  In the spring, they will bloom with white, orange, red, yellow, purple, and blue blossoms.  Adding vivid colors to an almost entirely brown and green landscape.  The world is far away, and my problems no longer exist. 

Well, that is all for now folks.  I have several other memories I would like to share, but I will save them for Memories – Part 2.  Please feel free to add any of your memories in my comments section.  I would love to hear from you.