And the road goes on forever...

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Simplicity


I clean an elderly gentleman’s home whom I admire for his simplicity. His house is orderly; not overly austere but not cluttered either, and I noted today that he owns 8 shirts, 3 pair of shorts, one long pair of pants and two pairs of shoes. Lest you think I snoop in his closets while he is away—nope—I do his laundry, fold and put away his clothes and towels. When I compare my closet to his it almost becomes a metaphor of the living conditions of life. The more you possess, the more it seems to weigh you down. On the other hand, the more we lose of what we possess—things and stuff, health, money, status, time—the more it also seems to weigh us down. A conundrum for sure.

I am on a mission to seek beyond where I have been. Would my life become that much simpler if I got rid of everything in my closet but 8 blouses, 3 pair of shorts, a pair of slacks and (God forbid!) only two pair of shoes? What is the essence of moving into a later stage of life without the weight (and fear) of the world; slipping more easily down the passage of time; dare I say—satisfied? It defies me.

I underwent a recent health scare where the jury has not yet returned my verdict. I teeter on the verge of an uneasy panic and a dive into the nether world of subconscious thoughts as I try and cope to manage my thoughts and feelings about something I know nothing about. I have been oblivious to good health; after all, it’s always been something that was just there until one recent day when maybe it isn’t any longer. I feel I faced death and found myself sadly lacking; found myself not ready in the least. Too much of my struggle to become a new me is yet undone—hell, 80% of it is probably undone.

My life in the past four, harrowing years hasn’t been at all what I wanted or pictured it at this stage of the game. I am on a quest to come to terms with that. To continue to live I need to do that. Then maybe I will be free to move on and live better and longer. It’s all about finding the key that lets one be happy with a closet mostly empty don’t you think?

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

A Sweet Arrival


October 12th dawned a beautiful Yuma day in more ways than one—daughter Rachael was on her way to stay with us for a short visit! I worked my usual little lady’s breakfast, came home and picked up Marc and we whisked our way quickly to the airport to await her arrival. She looked good and we got caught up during the afternoon and as she helped us prepare dinner.



The next day found us touring Algodones where it didn’t take long for the hawkers to realize they had a neophyte with some money, as Rachael found bobble after bobble she needed to haggle for. We had a wonderful and authentic lunch al fresco at the Paraiso which features a beautiful outdoor garden area. Marc and Rachael lingered for a beer while I scooted off to my dentist for a quick teeth cleaning.







Since the border crossing went quickly getting back into the US, we had time to stop by and allow Rachael to tour the infamous Yuma Territorial Prison. In the museum we took each others’ pictures using the very mirror used in the day to capture the profile view of incoming prisoners. From there, needing some cold water, we stopped by my favorite client Lilly’s, so she could meet Rachael and we could chat a bit. Another home cooked dinner al fresco on our patio followed that evening after our busy day.



Thursday was girl’s day as early in the day I drove Rachael with Derby to her vet appointment. Once back home, I took Rachael on a whirlwind tour of downtown, including the art deco Main Street area of old historic Yuma. We stopped by Lute’s, a former casino but now just restaurant and bar, for lunch after browsing many of the antique stores of downtown. We enjoyed another evening outdoors on our patio with a neighbor for company as we dove into homemade enchiladas.




Saturday, our last full day and night with Rachael we awoke early and had a refreshing morning walk and then piled into the Dodge with guns and ammo for the short trek out into our desert for some target practice. Marc had made some cardboard targets and an improvised stand and he measured out 5, 10 and 20 yard distances. The sun felt broiling as we blazed away but once again we had a fantastic time with our daughter. Saturday afternoon and evening we just kicked back around the house, mostly under the a/c as we have experienced unprecedented triple digit temperatures this week and it finally wore us out!





We barbecued an Alaskan salmon fillet and once again dined al fresco and then hopped across the street to our neighbor’s house for a little more camaraderie and Yuma hospitality.

Sunday was very sad as we watched Rachael checking through security in the early morning hours to fly back and prepare for her following work week. The same can be said for me—time to get back to work, but with memories I will treasure forever of a very special four days. Thanks for coming sweetheart.