I have been home since the beginning of March. Businesses are just now beginning to reopen – gradually, carefully. Hopefully, soon we can all get back to normal. But what will normal be? And what about the artists?
There are days when I feel like I’m working hard and improving a lot. And then there are days when all I feel is frustration. I’m hoping that over time, I will get more used to this and the good days will start to be normal and the bad days will only happen rarely. This time is all about being patient with ourselves.
In the Carolinas, summer means “Going To The Beach,” but in New Jersey, the idiom is “Down The Shore” (pronounced as one word, “downashoor”). So when our grandson was invited to compete in the 2019 US Sailing Youth Championship, we had the perfect opportunity for a few days down the shore on Long Beach Island.
In the past 52 months, I’ve written over 200 stories encompassing a bit over 130,000 words, highlighting the choices I and others have made on life’s journey. Even in the course of evolving this website, there were more choices to be made. A lot of forks in the road. And as the late Yankee Hall-of-Famer suggested, I took them. I decided to take one of the forks British writer and lay theologian, C.S. Lewis describes in boarding a bus on a drizzly afternoon and embarking on an incredible voyage through Heaven and Hell, albeit not as dramatic.
If I wanted a tool that would represent a well-lived life I’d reach for a Swiss Army Knife. It’s the perfect tool to get most jobs done. It travels well, and no matter the direction one of its implements is pulled can always find its way home – to its core.
As we walked to our favorite spot in the park, I told Louisa about the Jerzy Kosinski book, Being There and its protagonist, Chauncey Gardiner, and how he said, “..all will be well in the garden.” She barked in agreement before jumping on the bench. We marveled at the colors’ return, more vibrant than ever this spring. Maybe it was the rain over winter, or perhaps something else. Maybe it was Nancy and Jerry who told the garden it was time to bring back the colors which would bring people back to the park.
There’s a small bowl on a table in our home. The bowl shows a couple who appear blissfully in love; to their side are six red hearts. When I turn the bowl over I can read where the artist has etched, “The secret of a long marriage is to put a little romance in every day.” It’s signed, “Mary.” I don’t know Mary but I’d like to meet her, and thank her for crafting the most perfect of gifts.
It was to be the perfect week at the beach, and it was, right up until the police arrived. The brother and sister started planning an early summer trip for their own young families. “There’s no better way to get to know each other than by living for a week under the same roof,” the brother said to his sister, wanting their children – cousins – to be close. She agreed. They would soon find out how right they were.
Longships gracefully navigating the picturesque rivers of Europe. Happy couples holding hands as together they climb the stairs to a storybook castle. People enjoying a glass of wine before dinner. All images that have filled our TV screen for years, tempting us to travel and explore. We wanted to be part of the scenes. Viking had a trip leaving Passau, Germany, and cruising the Danube River, ending in Budapest, Hungary. There would be stops in Austrian cities of Linz, Melk, Durnstein, Krems, and Vienna; then on to Bratislava, Slovak Republic before ending in Budapest. That sounded like the perfect trip, “But why not go early?” my wife asked. “It’ll give us a chance to explore and get comfortable.”
Do you have any Christmas Tree traditions? Tree up right after Thanksgiving, or later? When do you take it down? Is there a reason why? Or something you just do? What about the ornaments? I’ll bet you have some special ornaments on your tree each year. Ornaments with a story.