I saw an Eagle

I had never before seen a Bald Eagle, our national symbol, in the wild. I wish I had been fast enough to get a picture of it.



Yet--during our vacation to Florida driving from the Merritt's Island National Wildlife Preserve I saw one perched proudly upon a tall pole.



It was big! And I was surprised at seeing the bird--even though I knew they lived in the area.



I almost didn't believe it and for some reason I was really excited.

It is really amazing what we can begin to see when we actually open our eyes and notice the world around us. I am one of the worst at blindly walking though life--and I know I miss a lot going on around me. Call it self-absorbed or something, but essentially I just block out the part of the world I am not, at that moment interested in.

I need to be more aware of what is going on around me.

Not to zone out. Maybe life will become more interesting.

Another Rainy Day? No, not Really!

I was surprised as I woke up this morning.

It was raining. It was raining hard--and constant.

I was wholly unprepared for the rain and what it meant for the traffic and the day.

I'm still suffering over the end of summer--and I came to the realization yesterday that I probably would not be spending any more time in the pool before I closed it for the winter since the temperatures had dropped so low.

So many people hate rain. But as i was discussing with Chris on the way to work this morning--I love rain and being rained on. I guess it comes from the sense of renewal that goes with the rain.

Even the Bible speaks of rain in this way--

“I will send rain for your land in its season, the autumn and the spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and olive oil. I will provide pasture for your livestock and you will eat your fill.” (Deut 11:14-15 - NET Bible)

And we definitely are having the autumn rains right now.

Today, though, I also had a different and separate view of the rain. I saw it as tears falling upon our land. Tears of the martyrs of September 11th, 2001. Tears, reminding us that the fight against tyranny and chaos, and the forces of darkness is not complete, nor probably will it ever be complete.

We must constantly be on guard and against those forces that would drag us into darkness--and the rain, the tears of those who perished remind us, the ones who remain, that there is so much more to do until we can really live in peace.

So today wasn't just another rainy day. But a somber day of remembrance where we can rekindle the flames of patriotism and passion which so often become dim in our souls as we fight amongst ourselves about things like health care and the economy.

The Gator and the Dog

Ever notice how we sometimes under estimate the intelligence or capability of someone we are doing business with?

I was reading a story about a dog that was attacked by a gator in Georgia this summer--and I was reminded of a situation that happened many years ago. It was tragic, in the end.

We were living near Barksdale AFB in Bossier City, LA during the real early 1980's. The base was blessed with a wide open area and a couple of lakes which made for nice picnicking. I remember the kids used to like to throw hot dogs to the gators in the bayou--even thought they weren't supposed to and I would always yell at them for doing it.

One afternoon we were by one of the lakes and a man was throwing a stick into the water and his faithful dog was charging in to retrieve it. I heard someone tell the man that he shouldn't be doing that because there were gators in the lake. Well, of course he ignored the warnings and replied with something about his dog being faster than any gator--and he continued to throw the stick. We left the area because I was sure that something bad was going to happen, and I really didn't want the kids to witness something traumatic.

I read in the base newspaper the next week that the man's dog was in fact killed by a gator at the lake on the very day we were there. I was sad--and mad at the man for being really stupid.

Now we all know dogs are probably faster than gators--but in their own environment gators know how to maximize their abilities.

Do not under estimate people you are dealing with. Allow them to have intelligence, cunning, and even useful insight--else, like the dog, you may be on the short end of the stick.

The Wood Pile: An update

A funny thing happened yesterday after I published my blog item about the wood pile.

The wood pile got smaller!

Yup!

Something I never really imagined happened. Someone went by the house, grabbed some tools and started splitting the wood in the pile. So one of my piles of stuff got smaller.

Thanks Patrick!

How true it is--when we get those piles in our life we either are too proud to ask for help or forget to ask for help. And it is really cool when someone just helps--without being asked.

It is the same whether the pile in our life is wood, or cleaning, or vacuuming the house, or even just making dinner. When someone just shows up and helps out, without being asked, it is really heartwarming.

The piles--maybe they are an obstacle of some kind--just seem to sit there and grow in our minds. Sometimes it takes someone who doesn't carry around the same baggage to look at them and say: "It's not that big!" And then roll up their sleeves and dig in. Or start splitting!

I guess the upshot of this is, if we all work together we can accomplish a lot!

The Wood Pile

Panic is setting in.

The wood pile we created earlier this year--it is still there. Still needs to be split. It has even grown a bit larger.

Ugh! And the cold season is coming. I am going to want to burn that wood, soon.



The pile of wood waiting to be split is a lot like some of the things I have piled up in my life waiting for action.



The piles never seem to go away and I never seem to get around to working on them. They could be anything from a book I want to read, or a language I want to learn, or a vacation I want to plan. It seems that the pace of life never lets me get to them.

Or maybe it is because I don't really want to get to them.

I know, if I really wanted to, I could get to those projects just like splitting the pile of wood. When I really want to do it, it will get done. It is a matter of priority.

Until then, just like the pile of wood--these projects and tasks remain as unrealized potential--a storehouse of things to do and complete.

The wood can't be burned until it is split and the benefits I gain from addressing the piles in my life can not be realized until I apply my time and effort to them.

I guess I need to get a plan together to address them.

Oops--I think I just created another wood pile!

Monday Musings - September 7, 2009 Labor Day

1. I love holidays where we just hang around the house and get all kinds of stuff done.

2. It is amazing how much stuff needs to be done around a house just for normal maintenance.

3. Wine and cheese--what could be better than sitting on the back porch enjoying the weather and sipping and munching?

4. The movie Patton really is awesome on a Blue Ray.

5. I have been reminding all of my family that Baseball season IS NOT over yet! The O's still have games to lose.

6. Dogs that get set used to getting up at 5AM can be a problem on weekends and holidays At least she likes to go back to bed..

7. Our family football fantasy league really brings us together--and we have a lot of fun. It gives us something to discuss and have friendly competition.

Here I am Whining Again

OK--there is someplace I'd rather be, OK!

There I said (or wrote) it!

On the water and even better, under it someplace warm and tropical!

Yes, I know it is the weekend, and I know I have a lot of stuff to do. But it is Labor Day weekend and that, as everyone knows, is the true end of summer.

Clothing changes, work resumes with a vengeance, and we begin the "gathering" process of preparing for the cold, dark, bleak, desolate (did I say dark?) winter ahead.

We leave the warmth and sunlight behind.

Do we need winter to make us appreciate summer more? I say no!

Remember, I'm the crazy the decided to leave upstate New York and go to college south of Miami! The only reason I came back to graduate from Syracuse was that my class time started to interfere with my beach time.

Not a good frame of mind to be in if one actually wants to graduate from college. The snow and cold of Central New York got me straightened out, fast!

I definitely need one more diving trip before the season ends. Spend some time with the fishes. Or sailing--with the waves.

Summer--the time to live and it seems we spend the remainder of the year getting ready for it or planning for it.

Cat or TV?

Sometimes it is hard to not laugh.

Every night, Louis, the cat, crawls up onto the TV stand and parks himself in front of the screen like some kind of statue.

I think in his mind it is more important to be seen than to be appreciated. Because I really do not appreciate his statuesque approach to my television watching.

I'm really not sure what his point is, but it is comical because it happens every night.

That is his place to park for a while.


No one can take it from him. No one dares!!

I guess we all need a spot like Louie's. A place where we are the undisputed king.

In his case, the dog can't get him and we don't feel like moving him.

Lucky him.

Getting above it all

Some days, it would be nice to get above all the noise and find a quiet almost serene place.

I saw this balloon the other day-against the blue sky on a beautiful afternoon. Just floating along being carried by the wind.

Some days--as I am stuck in the rat-race, or lost in the maze, I wish I could get my head up above the mundane and get a better eye on where I'm headed.

It must be freeing to be drifting on the breeze and to be going where the wind takes you and not able to really have control. Knowing only that whatever comes, you are ready for it. At least you can see where it is you are heading and prepare for it! A lot better than getting blindsided on the ground.

We need to take a few minutes and in our minds, create a place where we can drift on the wind for a minute and get our bearings. We might not like the course we are on, or we might be able to see an obstacle coming along.

Be like a person in a balloon, get up above the confines of daily life. There is no reason for us to run from one task to another without poking our heads up for a reality check.

Take a deep breath, slow down. Assess your life and if you think it is out of control, take back control.

Sailing off into the Sky

I guess that as September has arrived (even though I am still in denial) it is nice to kind of project out where we are headed.

Sometimes, it seems as if we are a ship out on the open ocean--alone for a far as the eye can see. Charting our course for sights and lands unknown. We become the captains of our own ships and chart our own course without regard for those around us--because we can't see them.

I guess I sometimes dream of being the solitary ship headed off for adventure.

But it is September after all.

It is birthday season for our family--the celebrations begin in a few weeks and continue through April. Poor Ethan--he gets so tired of singing Happy Birthday for everyone else in the family before he brings up the end in April. Even Jax slipped in front of him!

And of course then there is the multiple holiday season--Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years.

And football season and hockey season and the World Series!

And the famously politically incorrect remembrance--Columbus Day where the subjugation of the indigenous peoples of the America's began.

And the planning for weddings, and a new grandson and all of the excitement they bring.

July was tame by comparison!

Anyone have a spare weekend I can borrow?