Florida Bound

Last sunset in Florida - Payne's Prairie Wildlife area

It seems an odd time to blog about being Florida bound just as I am about to leave. When I start back to work on 3/9/17, it will have been 2 months that I've been traveling.  It has been a wonderful, delightful, fantastic journey full of new sights, sounds, memories, laughter and friends.  I've shed a few tears, lost some time just sitting watch water, sun, waves.  My car has more miles on it and is full of sand.  These are the benchmarks of living, in my humble opinion.

Sunset 

What have I learned from this journey is that life can be a wonderful adventure full of discovery.  My goal when I was planning it was that it was to be a time to remember the past, think about the future and experience the moment ...for that is all we truly have.

Kayaking with Beverly & Kathy - Fort DeSoto, FL

It was to be an experiment in mindfulness and learning to listen to my intuition.  What does Vera want, what does she find moving and inspirational, what motivates Vera to strive towards the light in each moment...to become a better human?  That may sound self-centered but I've spent most of my life doing things because it was what I thought I needed to do or was expected.  Also, my career was all about encouraging others to help themselves.  I muddled along never really thinking about "what do I want out of this life?".

Mass water attack - Trail Days 2017

So, in the next days or weeks, lets see what comes out...not writing for a couple of years has caused the creative pipes to fill with debris....it's time to flush the lines and get the thoughts and words flowing again.  Thanks to those who are still here waiting for more. I can't guarantee that it will be anything but honest ....something was left behind after Jim died, that part of me which was us is gone now and I have to figure out who I am now....I am going to strive to at write again and keep on doing what I feel will fulfill my mission.  What is my mission, you ask? Well, Fly free and finish what I came here to do...

First stop in Florida getting ready for the good times to roll - Torreya State Park

Much light and love to all...please be gentle with yourselves and LISTEN to what you have to say. to yourself.  Pick up a few good friends along the way and love unconditionally.  I've found that it is a much more interesting life if one does that....

With a Bow to the Grateful Dead - It Really Has Been a Long, Strange Trip

It all started with a thought: "I want to spend some time in Florida in January".  It seemed innocent enough. Who wouldn't want to leave the frigid north land of Indiana/Ohio THIS January?  I sure did.

I'd made the decision, after being laid off from ANOTHER job, to just not work for anyone anymore. Realizing that, after all, I was the only one who really cared whether or not I ate...I decided to finally start my own small business.  Yup, just like that.  I'd had enough of sending out resume after resume. I was fed up with the waiting and the silence.  I'd had enough of shutting down businesses and working at jobs that were uninspiring and low paying.  I can hear you guys...I know you KNOW how I feel.  Having spent some years doing work that WAS inspiring, it was hard to accept that the world expected me to settle and sweep floors at a big box store where I do not even want to shop.

So, I gathered some ideas and headed south for a visit, little knowing that I was not going to be back home for two months.. During that time, I'd have some great experiences and meet a bunch of new people. I would visit with long-time friends and share a hot springs tub with new.  I'd see some beautiful sunsets , take some great pictures and cry a bit.  But then how can we know where we will end up when we first start down the trail.  The journey is just that, a journey with surprises around each bend.

Florida was cold yet sunny, windy and sometimes rainy.  I found the contrasts and levels of gray upon gray reflected in the sky, the beach, the birds to be mesmerizing.  There were a lot of birds...Cormorants, Red Headed Mergansers, Plovers, Sandpipers, Gulls, a life bird which I got no pictures of and now can't remember....but at that same place I saw a Common Loon which was cool.  The above bird is a Black-bellied Plover and it too, is a life bird!

During this time, I had an amazing experience with 2 dolphins  Both are regular visitors to the seawall by my friend's house and visit her often.  One late afternoon, I saw the fins breach about 20 feet off the wall...they were fishing.  They have developed a behavior where they will cruise out from the wall driving the fish ahead of them and then surge in to the seawall...or at least that is what I've told myself they do.

I believe they are probably some of the most sentient beings on the planet.  So, when I went out I just wanted to get a few photos of them out in the channel.  As I stood on the seawall, the larger of the two, approached and did a swim by.  "He" circled and came back for another pass, moved out into the channel, came back for another pass followed by the second dolphin, smaller and what I call the "female" but who knows.  After several more passes, he swam by the wall one more time turned, dove then came up blowing out his good-bye with his expulsion of air.  What a wonderful experience and as they swam away I raised my hand in good-bye as they swam towards the bigger water of Tampa Bay.

So, that was just the beginning of the trip which took me to Atlanta to weather the second, Icemageddon, to Northeast Georgia for the first couple of weeks of Thru-hiker season, to Amicolola Falls State Park for the AT Kick-off and then finally, ended with a trip over the mountains in a freakish snow storm, to Hot Springs where I spent several days visiting with good friends and enjoyed the hot springs for the first time.

And now, I am back in Northeast Ohio awaiting spring and the birth of grandchild number five. awaiting the entrance of a new life into this crazy, roller coaster ride we call life.  Bring it on...I can't wait!

It's All About the Little Things

Several weeks ago, I was traveling from Ohio back to Indiana.  It was a stunningly beautiful January day when I left Kent, Ohio.  It was one of those "sky is clear blue with tiny strands of white clouds hanging like lace curtains" days.  Exquisite travel day.  It was one of those days when if I had been hiking, I would have noticed details like bugs on leaves, tiny pine cones in the grass, how the sun forms rainbows on leaf dew.  I am sure you've had days like that. 

But I was driving.  Home.  I instead I turned my thoughts inward to family, friends, love and beauty and the timelessness of enjoying NOW.  The winter sun, absent or clouded in winter in NE Ohio shone brightly and warmed the interior of the car, it felt just like summer and oh how good this felt at this moment to have that warmth on my fingers clutching the wheel and on my face.  Soaking up the much need Vitamin D.  Welcoming that light in that moment, opened my heart.

As I was driving, I noticed small birds flying and ugly trash blowing across the road...the contrast of beauty and ugliness, reminders that living in the moment means accepting what we judge as good or bad and dealing with it without judgement because it is just THERE in that moment and like trash blowing across the road or birds flying across one's line of sight it will be gone in the next moment.  For me this brings freedom; freedom to not be burdened by little birds that fly into your life or trash that blows through.

At the end of the day, I was greeted by the most beautiful sunset I've seen in a long time. It capped off a day where I was thankful for the tiniest thing.  The colors of that sunset blended into the most spectacular colors, pinks, purples, dusty blues and yellows.  It filled my warm heart with such gratefulness.  I felt as if Mother Nature had painted that for me so that I'd remember for a long time that if you let things build up inside, if you spend your moments dwelling on the what ifs and what wills of life you miss the what is right there in front of yous. 

 And it is in these moments, the right now moments where inspiration and gratitude reside.  I love looking at the big picture but also that day was reminded of all the little pieces that build up to make that big picture.  If you walk too fast with your eyes all the way into the future, you miss the building blocks upon which that big picture rests.  

Flying Through Rocky

Written on February 26th as I was leaving Ohio for Florida.
So, today in an effort to escape the death throes of a northern winter, I am flying again to Florida.  Land of sun, sea and sand; its winds whisper my name and the ocean music sings its song to me even in my waking hours.  The Sea Gull's cry is a welcome home invocation.  Although, I am a child of the mountains, hills and forests, the wild coast touches my wild heart and I long to stand on an empty beach facing west, wind running fingers through my hair.  Oh, it can't come soon enough, that salty air.

Yet, Ohio wishes me to stay and with a grip like iron conspires with its sister states to the west to keep me here by hatching, Rocky.  I failed to realize, really, that winter storms are now being named.  It was with dismay that I started hearing of Rocky's approach.  Tough, hard, pummeling, blustery and bragging, this would be, in my mind what a storm named, Rocky, would be like, a fighter, unwilling to give up.  And so it is with this one, I've danced and dodged, lodged a jab or two myself, staying always ahead of it.  My steps always one ahead of him.  

What would have happened if we'd flown into Midway.

At first, my departure was set for afternoon out of Akron/Canton but by mid-day those plans were cancelled with the knock-out punch to the chin of Chicago.  That mighty city's Midway airport felled; closed to air traffic, dealt a blow by Rocky's snowy glove.  Lovely Southwest Airlines scrambled to find me another flight out today, so off I went to Cleveland Airport, whose selection of flights to Tampa, Florida is more generous.  Connection through Baltimore was possible, away from the mighty fist of Rocky.  But his glancing blow is still trying to knock me out by delaying my departure from Baltimore.

As I sit here, waiting, watching for his approach, hoping that my plane boards and scoots out ahead of his arrival into the northeastern Ohio ring of snow, I wonder if he will get the upper hand.  But just in time the doors open we board the plane and off we go.  Rocky still has some blocks, slamming us with turbulence and that bottom dropping out of the plane feeling.  We fly to Baltimore with the fasten seat belt sign on for almost the whole trip.  Yet once up above 10,000 feet all is calm.  The stars shine brightly and only the cloud mountains below indicate any issues.  The almost full moon brightens the sky and is so beautiful.  It illuminates the tops of the clouds below putting their peaks and valleys in bright relief. 
 
Upon arrival in Baltimore, thinking I still had 40 minutes or more to kill I allow other passengers who have a tighter connection to de-plane ahead of me.  Searching for a board gate sign, I turn left and spy it ahead.  Well, all is still as planned, Baltimore to Tampa still delayed.  I head back towards my gate, looking for a bathroom, when I hear:  "Welcome to Flight so and so non-stop service from Baltimore to Tampa boarding at gate 8." Wait,  WHAT! 3 minutes after I de-planed, I was lining up to re-plane?! Yikes!  So, within 10 minutes of getting off 1 plane, I was on another waiting to head to my final destination of sun, sand and surf.  Rocky wasn't going to win after all.  He was successfully knocked out and I was going to win at least this round with mother nature.    

Final destination, feet successfully de-planed on to the beach!

Cold Wind, Warm Heart

Again due to issues on my part, this is a continuation of a thought from last year, 2012. 

There was more to my shower idea than just writing every day.  I had this crazy thought that since this is the time of Thanks-giving that maybe it would be a good thing for me to think about that very thing.  What was I thankful for in this past year of 2012?  Well, it was an unusual year.  

It started in January 2012 with a trip to Arkansas for a job interview which ended with me not getting the job.  I came to the realization that I had been gendered and aged out of that job from the minute I stepped off the plane.  This knowledge became huge and life-changing. 

 

A lovely recovery trip to Florida where walking the beach and shell collecting became the therapy to beat back the blues came later in January.  I can also recommend Paint-by-Number art therapy.

 It was a year of both the perceived ugly and the lovely bumping into each other back and forth, a tightrope walk of emotions.  But as the year progressed I mitigated the ugly with positive educational opportunities (Jennifer McLean's, Healing with the Masters) and readings designed to keep me from slipping into the dumpster.  This has helped. 

I have struggled with inspiration, often not writing at all.  It was the walks and my camera which were my eyes into the world of creativity linking me to the magic that is our world.  Other things happened, a trip to Colorado (awesome), gifts of love and kindness from friends, more hours at work and opportunities to do hard work, cleansing my soul with the dirt and birdsong. 

A realization gradually breaking upon me that all things really DO work for good ..that the path I've walked has made me who I am today.  Without the slurry of experiences whether perceived "good" or "bad" by me (at the time they occurred) I would not have walked the path I did.  Would not have felt the things I felt, not learned the lessons I've learned...just not been ME.  I would have been another ME...maybe one I didn't like...I definitely wouldn't have been here at this particular time, in this spot, writing.  I'd miss that.



So, for this new year of 2013, my wish, resolution, desire, whatever you want to call it will be to enjoy the journey more.  I'll try to be easier on myself and not judge situations as "good" or "bad" but will just try to let them BE.  To say more to myself, OH LOOK AT THAT....whatever is happening...isn't that interesting?  I'll shake my emotions up with dancing in joy, throw in some shower singing and let them bubble out in laughter.  Guess I'll also continue keepin' on keepin' on and in the light of each new sun find myself enjoying each moment.  

Thanks-giving

I don't know what it is about water but it really is an amazing thing.  Let me turn on the shower, begin to hear the water run and my brain goes into creative overdrive.  When I actually step in and the water pours over me that is when the real ideas start swirling.  I swear if I could take a computer into the shower with me I'd have written a novel by now.  Its the craziest thing.  Of course, by the time I get out, the ideas are making their last turn around the drain as they whisk out into the septic field.  That feels about like what I've been creating lately...stuff ready for the ...well never mind. 

Not only does the running water in the bathtub bring on inspiration but other watery places provide similar stimulus.  Last January, while visiting Florida, I stayed in an old cypress cabin perched above the roiling, winter ocean.  Here the waves beat the rhythm of the tides against the small cliff.  The voice of the sea echoed amongst the stacked rocks of the cliff sometimes in angry vowels as it forced the salt spray into the air and at other times it whispered it's wisdom to those who would listen as it caressed the weathered mass of rocks and broken shells with soft, watery fingers.  It was here that I started a story that has yet to be finished, in the middle of it's writing, I flew home.

One summer while working as a Naturalist for a local park district, I spent a part of many working days sitting next to, walking by or doing programs close to some body of water.  I had my office next to a large lake where children and adults came to enjoy its peace and coolness.  I sat on a bench talking to park guests a footpath width away from a medium sized pond and learned from the pond inhabitants about the wisdom of the seasons.  I studied the frogs and toads and a beautiful Green Heron standing on the shore of another small pond.  From them, I learned that nature provides in abundance if you live in harmony with her.  This message I took to those who attended my programs.  I considered this time to be a peak in my creative life.

So, what does this have to do with Thanks-giving, you ask? Well, during this morning's shower I came up with a great idea which this time I remembered.  I am grateful for my creative gift but have not been doing much with it lately.  So, I decided that during this season of thanks and giving that I would try to write something, if not every day at least once a week as my giving of thanks to the creator for the gift of creativity that has been given to me.  I may or may not post everything here but I will try to write something regularly.  Maybe I'll even roll out some bio-fiction.    

 So, what would happen if we all took the time to consider our talents and then decided to gift them to our world of friends during the rest of November and December?  Who might you lift up, who might you inspire, maybe you'd make someone laugh out loud, maybe you'd heal some wounds or make a new friend.  Despite the animosity prevalent in our world today, I believe that together we stand or fall.  My passion for writing might not be yours but maybe you can bake the best pecan pie EVER (DEB!) or maybe you are a creative genius with a needle, maybe you love to garden or can paint or take photographs that inspire. 

As the end of the world as we know it approaches on December 21, 2012 some think terrible things will happen or maybe nothing at all will occur.  I think that as an old cycle ends we have the opportunity to kick off a new cycle, a cycle where we all live better, higher lives that are more focused on love, kindness and support of each other.  A cycle where we recognize the talents we have been gifted with and instead of working for years doing things we hate for money, learn to live in a world that appreciates these gifts even if they are not the traditional ones.  Like I said, I think when we all achieve, everyone wins.  So, what will you give to the world in the next weeks?