Experience at the lake: I was standing on the shore of a small mountain lake with a few of my friends. The setting was perfect. The surface of the lake was like glass and trees rhythmically swayed as a soft breeze rustled through the leaves. In the distance, I heard the sounds of ducks enjoying themselves as they splash landed into the water. The afternoon sun warmed my face as the rays highlighted a small cloud of gnats near the water. As I stood there relaxed and completely captivated by the landscape, I said to my friends, “This is spectacular I wish I had my camera”. As the words came out of my mouth, another friend said, “The lake is like glass, I wish I had my ski boat”. Then another friend added, “It’s probably full of fish. I wish I had my fishing pole”. Lastly, my other friend said, “In a place like this, I don’t need anything. It’s a perfect environment to meditate and pray”. A few minutes went by as we continued to enjoy the afternoon. I began to think that we were all in the same surroundings but somehow none of us were in the same place. I guess there is no “right” way to discover life Between Appointments.
Smart Phones: Quote from a friend that made me laugh. “You know you’re getting older when your phone is smarter than you are. I mean, how many ways can I feel stupid with a new “Smart” Phone?”
Hope: “Hope refuses to take failure as final.” Not sure who said this originally but I heard it again recently and I love it.
Highway 5: If you speak to anyone that has driven between Northern California and Southern California on Hwy 5 and asked them about their experience, they will probably use a million words synonymous with boring, words like monotonous, tedious and dull. Over the years, I’ve driven between NorCal and SoCal at least 100 times. Each time I’ve made the trip, I’ve filled up the tank, turned on the tunes, set the cruise control and put my brain into neutral until I reached my destination. The focus has always been about the goal (get there as fast as legally possible), not the journey. Last week, I had business meetings in Fresno and SoCal and had to make the trip again. To my surprise, I noticed there were miles and miles of fruit and nut trees in full spring bloom. Beautiful, vibrant, pink and white trees lined the highways for as far as I could see. Not sure how I could have missed them before, but I guess I was too busy. Amazing what you find when you start looking and discover life Between Appointments
Saying Goodbye: Holidays are over. My son and his girlfriend came up for a few short days and left the day after Christmas. My daughter left this morning with my wife to return to college. Just went down the hall towards the kitchen and Jack was standing in the middle of the floor staring at the front door. Guess he doesn’t like it when everyone leaves either. I think I might just join him on the floor……saying goodbye is never easy.
Adult Children: Had a great time recently with my son. Not only was it fun to just hang out with him, it was fun to see how our relationship has changed. While I still see glimpses of him as a little boy, now my relationship is one of mutual respect with an independent young man. Blessed.
by Bryan_Maxwell