Sunday, October 17, 2010

A moment in time






















As Abbie and I walked on this beautiful autumn morning, we reflected on how catching a moment in time is such a marvelous thing.

A plane was doing touch and goes from the small airport a mile down the road. With the bright sun shining at a challenging angle for my camera viewer, it was difficult to view the image of the plane in the screen, so the fact that I finally caught the moving plane is a tribute to technology and a stroke of good luck.

I also tried to capture the moment in time showing Abbie in mid-stride as she catapulted down the road in front of me. Since her feet are not touching the ground, you can start to imagine how fast she runs.
Today's pictures of our glorious fall weather are posted in hopes that you will be able to enjoy the same moment in time that we enjoyed this morning. As you look at the pictures, imagine the cool breeze against your face, so cool that it brings tears to your eyes as you walk into the wind. Imagine the sounds of the soon to be harvested corn stalks rushing into each other like the leaves of the cottonwood trees next to the river, a constant whispering that is comforting like the waves of the ocean. Imagine the birds twittering in the trees as they wake and offer up their songs for the day.
I hope the fall weather in your part of the country is as glorious as it is in the midwest. I hope you are able to get out into the great outdoors and talk a walk with your dog, with your friend, or with your own company. I hope you are able to enjoy a moment in time that is yours and yours alone. A moment that is as glorious as the fall day we enjoyed today.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

A New Day




So today, I woke up all crabby and mad that I haven't won the lottery yet and that I had to go to work again. The drugery of it, the stupidity of it, the people I don't like to work with, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture. I definately woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Since we have established our habit, Abbie and I went for our walk. They have been harvesting soybeans around our house, so the fields no longer have the beautiful drying soybean plants with their colors changing daily from green to gold with the tops a nice shade of reddish purple. Now the fields lay flat, endless to the horizon. It is still beautiful, but different.

I was happy for the farmers this fall. It has been fabulous weather for harvesting - quite different from last year when it was so moist - then the snow fell and never let up until April. Being happy for them made me feel a little bit better.

I realized I need a dream - something to look forward to. It needs to be a long term plan, something I can work toward and keep my mind off of the drudgery of work. I also need to keep my mind off the fact that my 50th birthday is 6 months away - that my eye doctor says he has the perfect bi-focal set-up for me - and that the only thing I'm really looking forward to is retirement (aka not having to go to work).

So I was thinking about my writing and how I could make that a goal - a dream - maybe an income producing type of activity. I had two thoughts - one was to continue writing about our walks on County Road 15 and make it a motivational type of document. The other is to seek out others who have turned 50 and see what their journeys were like. The documentation of these stories might be helpful to others as they find their way in the same place.

Now I have a plan for a plan. I am not so crabby, but I could still use some work on my attitude. Thanks to Abbie the dog and walking, I will be more agreeable to my co-workers.