When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Marcus Aurelius
The rain will be back today, creating ideal circumstances to see a movie, linger at the coffee shop or to catch up on chores. Whatever you do, make today count!
Happiness is old barns, pretty pictures, long drives and Fridays. It’s making it through another long day and knowing the weekend is near.
You know the drill, friends. Go forth and live a good life. Happy Friday!
There’s not much that makes me happier than seeing an American flag on the side of a barn. This one in rural southern Ohio is just outside a village I passed through in my travels recently.
Patriotism means a lot of things to different people. That’s clear as you travel through this world but I’m increasingly glad every time I see an American flag.
You never know what you might see while out and about so I keep my eyes peeled for interesting things – even when just running errands.
I hope you will do the same!
Yesterday took me on the road to a couple of neighboring communities for work projects. I normally enjoy these days because I get to drive and see things, maybe eat somewhere out of the ordinary or pop into a store on my lunch break. I get to see different people and maybe even meet new ones.
Yesterday was odd though. I left home early and it was still kind of dark, a little gloomy even. As the sky lightened and visibility became easier, it seemed the world was determined to throw at me every obstacle available.
First, a bobcat crossed my path. This was a happy occurrence because it was the second I have seen in a week and their mere presence in the wild always makes me happy.
Then came a parade of school buses, emergency vehicles,cars that pulled out quick only to go slow, a front end loader carrying a big box, mail cars, and an 18 wheeler blocking the entire road as it attempted to back into a driveway. That was all first thing in the morning and conditions really didn’t improve for the entire rest of the trip.
I drove up on an unplanned road closure so I detoured the best way I knew how only to run into a detour on the detour. A horse in the edge of the road and a couple of Amish buggies later and I was back on track. The most terrifying event of the day though came while traveling on Lancaster’s busy Memorial Drive where I encountered a young adult man in the middle of the street. It is a miracle that I could swerve without hitting him or another car. I felt bad for just driving on but both lanes of traffic behind me stopped and I saw someone running across the street toward the man.
Here’s hoping he got the help he needs – not just in that moment – but in the grand scheme of life.
I traveled far less than a hundred miles yesterday but it seemed longer and was an eventful trip at nearly every turn. Some of it was kind of entertaining while many of these obstacles felt frustrating, distracting and downright scary. Yet I tried not to let it all distract me and to get to where I needed to be safely.
You see, this kind of day always makes me think that someone is looking out for my best interests. The time spent behind the buggies or waiting for the trucker to back into his destination may very well have thrown off my timing enough to avoid an accident. Things happen in the blink of an eye and just a fraction of a second could mean the difference between life and death or at least damage to body and property.
Things didn’t go as planned. So what? I made it home safe and I lived to tell the tale. I got a story out of it. Tomorrow is a new day. Maybe it will be more productive.
I tell you to make the journey fun but we have established here that the journey isn’t always fun. In fact, it can be pretty hard at times. But the journey is life and life is the journey. If you try letting go of the angst and worry and simply enjoy the trip,, you might find it’s a lot easier than you believed.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Be safe out there, friends. Look out for those obstacles but exercise a bit of patience and try to enjoy your day – wherever it takes you!
PS – the above photo was made during yesterday’s unplanned shenanigans.
The drive home on Saturday night gave me some food for thought. You see, I left Adam’s house just before dusk. When I reached the ridge top a few miles away, I was privileged to witness this gorgeous scene.
The sunset was true to the picture – happy and bright. It reminded me of a watercolor painting with an array of peaches, purples and grays melting into the green trees.
I stopped to snap this photo and started my descent toward home and away from this sherbet colored sky. A few miles down the road, I came around the bend to this scene.
I stop to photograph this barn occasionally but usually when the sky is bright. The fog rolling in was captivating to my eye but the road beckoned me to continue home.
Isn’t that how life is for most of us? The roads we travel can be so different for each of us just depending on when we go. Never mind the vehicle we drive, the company we keep and the resources we carry to help our journey.
It made me think about how different the road can be, just miles away and minutes apart.
While the people traveling high on the ridge may have a beautiful sunset to enjoy, someone further down the road may have nothing to see but grey skies.
Remember that in your travels and when interacting with others. It’s hard to know where they’ve been and whether they’ve been living in the light or struggling in the fog.
Happiness is a detour down a country road on the way home from work. Isn’t this a pretty scene?
Happy Thursday, friends!