October 31, 2005
When Words Are Worth Nothing
I read an article that resonated within the deepest part of my being and at the risk of being more "container than content", I wanted to pass it on to my fellow bloggers and friends.
A little excerpt:
As bloggers I think one of the greatest dangers we face is feeling as though we need to keep talking even when we have nothing relevant to say. Like the man on the stage who used up his 20 minutes worth of material 30 minutes ago, we babble on trying to entertain the crowd because what the crowd wants is more more MORE! Sometimes, it's just time to be silent and allow ourselves to be filled back up again.
So if you're feeling like the dancing bear who desperately needs to stop, I hope you find the courage to do so. I hope you'll revel in your own silence and allow yourself to be filled once again.
October 27, 2005
Road trips are soooo fun!
On our way to Napa last week, Krista and I were in a freak accident with an 18” iron pipe. We were driving on the freeway going about 70mph when I saw a slightly curved pipe in the road. Before I could do anything, the truck in front of us ran over the pipe which then flew into my car. It hit the passenger side of the hood first then flew into the right upper corner of the windshield and roof. The sound was deafening. I immediately pulled off to the shoulder, barely able to see out of the windshield and no longer able to see out of the rear-view mirror as the roof had slightly collapsed from the impact. By the grace of God, Krista was not hurt but she was covered from head to toe in glass. Thankfully, she was wearing sunglasses which protected her eyes. She was also remarkably calm. Being the in-control woman that I am, I immediately called Rocket Man and started crying. :-P Being the sweet man that he is, he was in his car coming to us within seconds. (we were an hour from home at that point in the trip) We decided to get the car off the freeway so we limped it to the off-ramp and found a gas station and parked it. Krista had to hold the windshield up as it was collapsing in on her.
AAA got a tow-truck out to us in minutes and Rocket Man met us at the auto body shop we’d been towed to. My poor little car took a beating but every time I looked at it, I was so grateful it was a car made of metal and not my dear friend.
And never ones to let anything keep us from having fun, we asked Rocket Man to take us to Napa and he was quite accommodating. So in spite of a rough start, our day turned out wonderful!
My car will be in the shop for at least another week. I might possibly hug it when I get it home. I love my car. :-D
We had our camera with us so we took a few pictures. Take a look-see...
October 25, 2005
YAY for Vacations!
So my friend, Krista, came for a visit last week and boy-oh-boy was I ready for a vacation! We had a lovely time laughing, sight-seeing, getting ourselves thrown out of restaurants, nearly getting killed and shopping. LOTS of shopping.
We spent the first 2 days at Lake Tahoe enjoying the beauty of this magnificent lake. She'd never been so it was a joy to see it "for the first time" with her.
We also spent a day in the Napa wine country. It's just barely over an hour from my home and yet my visits are far too infrequent. I absolutely adore the wine country-- it is the place where my heart feels most at home. I will live there someday; of that, I am sure.
So my soul is refreshed and I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. Oh...and about getting thrown out of a restaurant--I blame my brother! And that nearly getting killed thing...stay tuned...stories and pictures to come! :-D
October 23, 2005
Seasons of Life
It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the long absence--life got in the way.
As most of you know, I started a new career as a real estate agent this year. It's been a wonderful adventure having spent the vast majority of the last 17 years with my energies focused on raising the boys.
Getting into real estate was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. I'd known for 3 years that it was what i wanted to do, but frankly, I was worn out! I'd just finished 5 years of homeschooling and hadn't spent a single day without children in over 15 years. When the boys started back up in school I went to work part-time because I had absolutely NO idea what to do with all the free time I finally had! After a year of that, I knew it was time to honestly and truly rest. And I did. I took a holiday and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I explored the world through new music and art. I hung out with friends and ignored the phone. I quit caring if the laundry was done and went out and had some adventures. I discovered new ways of doing things and new ideas. I got out of my comfort zone and stretched my boundaries. In short, I lived.
As my world expanded, I was amazed to realize how stagnate I had become. It's easy to have happen when we are surrounded by people who think just like us, live just like us, act just like us. I've learned more about myself by being around people who are nothing at all like me. Though my core beliefs have remained firmly rooted, I've learned to appreciate people not just inspite of the difference but because of them.
Something else that's been remarkably liberating is the realization that I don't have to have all the answers! When I was in my 20's, I thought the whole idea was to know everything one could possibly know. By the time my 30's came along, I was pretty sure I had a solid grasp on life. Then the 40's hit and with it the absolute knowledge that I was a complete idiot for thinking I knew ANYTHING about ANYTHING! Disillusionment accompanied my new reality but not for long. I soon began to enjoy my newfound stupidity. "I don't know" became my freedom cry! How utterly and incomprehensibly wonderful it was to not have to know the answers to the great mysteries of life!
So my season of rest has come to an end as a new season begins. I love my job. I love meeting new people and I love knowing I'm going to be a GREAT real estate agent! My mentor agent and I spend more time laughing than working and I can't believe I've lived this long without her in my life. I simply adore this woman!
So life is good around these parts. We're still in the adjustment stage as we try to figure out how to be in 3 places at once but the beauty of it all is that I don't have to figure anything out I just have to enjoy the journey!