Smelling the Roses

Thought for the day:  Time is but a stream I go a-fishin' in.  I drink at it, but while I drink, I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is.  Its thin current slips away, but eternity remains. [Henry David Thoreau]

I didn't just want to go fishing in it; I wanted to stand in it. I wanted to feel the waters of time swirl around my feet, to be made poignantly aware once again of its dual nature of fleeting and eternal. I wanted to hear the haunting call of the seagulls, and breathe in the distinctive briny scent of the ocean.

And thanks to Smarticus and a couple very dear friends, I did!

When I did my social butterflying a couple weekends ago, I was actually doing it at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with my hubby and our pals from Tennessee.  And even though none of them care all that much (like not at all) about spending time at the beach, they graciously indulged me. They gave me the time to walk on the beach and stand in the water. And it was glorious.

As you read this, I'm off social butterflying again. No ocean involved this time, but I'm gonna be unplugged from the Internet, and plugged into my environment. Smelling the roses, while they're still in bloom. So to speak. Because I'm such an innately lazy generous person, I won't abandon y'all without a post. Nope, I'm gonna foist an old post share a post, originally written as Dashing Through Life in April of 2011. Most of you haven't seen it before, and it kinda goes along with the way I'm feeling lately. Life's simply too short to waste. We've gotta live it. Gotta go fishin' once in a while.

                                            (Hey! You go fishing your way, and I'll go mine!)

Okeydoke, here's that oldie but goodie rerun.

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Thought for the day:  I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.  Maya Angelou

It'd be a lot easier if life were laid out like a marked highway, wouldn't it? All we'd have to do is keep our eye on that center line and follow the road straight to our final destination. No guesswork involved. No tough decisions. Why, there'd even be signs to warn us of the bumpy patches ahead, and of the "dips" we're likely to encounter.


And just think! If we doze off and start to wander off-track, by golly, there'd be signs to tell us:


Just think how many divorces could have been avoided!

But, in truth, life would be kinda boring if it were all laid out for us, wouldn't it? I mean, where's the spirit of adventure in that? Even though I'm directionally challenged, I love exploring those little dirt roads in life.

Years ago, Smarticus and I spent several unforgettable weekends at a mountain cabin with another couple. Wonderful people. Like me, Smarticus also likes to venture off the beaten path, and thankfully, he has an uncanny sense of direction to go with it, so as long as I stick with him, I'll always find my way home again. The other couple, on the other hand, preferred the safety of the paved road, and the well-worn path. The four of us were tromping on a trail through the woods one day, when I heard the distant sound of water. Natch, I got all excited and took off through the woods. And natch, so did my husband. Our friends stayed glued to the marked trail at first, but quickly decided it was scarier to stay behind than it'd be to follow us. We encountered a multitude of large trees, downed and tangled, so we climbed over them. Ran into brambles galore, but we kept going. But as we climbed through and over the obstacles, the sound of water got louder and louder, until we finally emerged into a sun-lit clearing. It was worth every single scratch and bug bite we'd endured, and every bead of sweat we'd perspired. For there we were, beside a small, secluded waterfall.

And we would've missed that beautiful moment if we hadn't been willing to take the scenic path. The detour. It's wonderful to have a clear destination in mind, but the trip is so much more enjoyable if we learn to enjoy the scenery along the way. Children insist on becoming adults, and you'll only have one shot at enjoying their childhoods. Our parents grow old and die, and then there's no time left to chat with them on the phone, or to stop in for a visit. Our friends pass away, or move away, or simply leave our lives. Shouldn't we enjoy them while we can? I originally planned on calling my blog Never2Late.  That definitely reflects my optimistic viewpoint of life, but the unpleasant truth is ... sometimes, it IS too late.



Sorry! I've gotta dash!

Hurry, hurry, hurry. No time to stop and chat. No time to listen to the response after you ask someone how they're doing. Gotta dash, gotta dash.

I want to leave you with another thought about our mad dash through life.

The Dash is an inspirational poem that starts:

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

This poem was written in 1996 by Linda Ellis, and her words have inspired millions of people all over the world. She writes about that little line, that simple "dash" on a tombstone that represents the real story of a lifetime, that defines who we are beyond a simple beginning and end date, and touches, simply and succinctly, on what's truly important in life. Here's a beautiful rendition of  the entire poem   I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

How about you? Are you strictly goal-oriented, or do you enjoy life's surprising detours?

Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other. What can I say? Gotta dash!