More Journey Ahead

"No matter where you are in life there is always more journey ahead." Nelson Mandela

I had one of those great 15 minute connections with a total stranger. A conversation of depth and feeling. A person I had never seen before and would never see again touched me in an inarticulate way. We were commenting at first jokingly and then seriously on the beauty we could see from the back door of the downtown office building. It inspired me to look for beautiful things on my twenty-six mile drive home from work. This is what I noticed, besides the snow covered mountains, sunshine, blue sky and green trees, those are givens.

On I-5 matching brilliant red and blue Volkswagens with a white car between them, quite pretty and patriotic looking.
An abundance of American flags gently billowing.
The trees gently moving with the same breezes.
A puppy dog surveying the world from a car's rear window.
A balloon bouquet going someplace.
Smoothness, traffic flowing smoothly.
All those cars with people in them who love someone.
I was trying to imagine all the different kinds of love all those people were carrying.
A shiny clean limousine which put me in mind of love also, a wedding or anniversary.
Something important and probably beautiful.

I stopped at Amanda's to pick up my pizza pan and four of her five children were smiling, playing, laughing in front of her house with the neighborhood children.
Andrew was directing traffic - me.
Olivia was moving mulch from point A to point B.
Victoria was being shy peaking from behind her mother.
Carter was handing me a gold star to "keep."
Balls were flying as loosely as the laughter and all seemed right with the world.
What could be more beautiful?

Lynn posted on her blog a quote about "everything is sacred," a belief I believe, but have trouble holding onto sometimes. If mountains and Amanda's children are sacred -- that's easy, but then so is I-5 and cars and trucks and motorcycles and yard waste -- that's harder.

I drifted on home and was greeted by Ian.
Then Roger had posted the wonderful photographs of Connor on Facebook.
I was planning a bring-your-own-dinner Son's Dinner.
Easy, easy, easy.

Somehow my mind drifted backwards in time. To the first time I wasn't the youngest in a social group and felt old. I lived in Barstow California and must have been all of twenty-one and felt old? A beautiful memory in spite of the feeling old part. I don't want to go back, I don't want to live my life over, I want that Mandala idea of journeying ahead, but the memory was sweet. The memory of the life and family I had then.

I was reading Open by Andre Agassi and in the early pages he talks about his father who when he was a young boxer in Iran wanted to take his opponents hardest punch and show them he was still standing. I have had variations of that feeling for years. I've taken life's hard punches and I am still standing. Still journeying ahead.

Towards the end of the book was this poem: no credit was given.

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to see, to find, and not to yield.

No matter where you are in life there is always more journey ahead.


As I was raising my sons I wanted them to know how to sew, cook, and do laundry before they left home. Now Roger can sew better than me. Christian can cook better than me. Ian can do laundry better than me. It has been a journey. I had a nice day today until I was preparing my frozen Marie Callender pie and opened the dishwasher to bake it in.

It's been a journey. And Lordy I'm getting old.

On my playdate with Connor this evening I gave him a piece of imaginary bread. He promptly put the imaginary bread in his mouth and started chewing it. I said well aren't you going to give granny a bite? He opened his mouth and removed a piece of imaginary bread and handed it to me.

Life does go on. More journey ahead.