Saturday July 26, 2008...Live this moment

Get ready. Here it comes!

Now it's here!

Now it's gone.

That was a moment in your life, now gone forever.

Think of life as a road trip.

If you focus on the destination only and ignore the scenery along the way, you'll miss a lot. You will pass through life without seeing the beauty that surrounds you. You'll miss all the moments.

How often have we focused on the end of the day or end of the week or maybe next year and let time slip away unnoticed? Sometimes we wish our lives away. Those are precious moments of your life that will never be again.

You must live in this moment, it's the only time you have to control. The past is fixed and the future uncertain – you have only the now to act in.

If you don't live this moment, you will lose it to join all the other forgotten moments.

Monday July 7, 2008...Your Choice

Each day you choose what you will do.

You choose whether to bound out of bed or to lie there and groan.
You choose whether to face the day with a smile or a frown.
You choose whether to make it to work on time or to be late.
You choose what you will accomplish.
You choose whether to work hard or slide through the day.
You choose whether to be friendly or to be a grouch.
You choose whether to make this day a memory or one to forget.

This day may be one of your last days, spend it well or throw it away.
You choose.

Friday July 4, 2008...Back from the West

I just returned from two weeks in central Wyoming. It's high plains desert country. The elevation was about 6,000 feet above sea level and there were very few trees. The low growing shrubs were best suited to sandy arid soil. The few cattle that you could see were widely scattered because there was not much food or water. It looked like 1 to 10 acres for each cow. The wind blows out there with nothing to stop it. There are few ranches and when there is one, it is usually rather large. I was surprised that it was indeed cool in the shade because of the dryness of the air. The native Wyoming people were complaining about the heat while I was quite comfortable. I guess I'm so conditioned to the humidity back home that my body cools off easily when the air is dry. Once you get acclimated to the elevation and the lack of people, the whole state opens up it's beauty to you. There are mountains off on the far horizon and you are fairly secluded from humanity. It's just you and the sky and the earth. If you were born and raised in that country, any sizable town would seem crowded. The largest city in Wyoming only has 53,000 people and there are only 500,000 people in the whole state. If you want to get away from it, then Wyoming is the place to go.

Fortunately, where my daughter lives is near the wind river and there are irrigation ditches criss-crossing the county. With irrigation, the sandy soil will grow many things. But Wyoming is far off the beaten path and transportation is costly. I grew up in Kansas City where many interstates, railroads and airways intersect, so I am used to larger metropolitan areas with many amenities taken for granted. Wyoming folks have to be a lot more self-reliant and competent.

I enjoyed the difference and the serenity, but it's always good to get back home. Here, everything is within reach and available. It's comforting. I guess I'm spoiled.