ODDS & ENDS

Good morning,

Not all of you have been truckers, like my Johnny and I were, but I bet most of you love traveling, would love nothing better than to pack a couple of suitcases, a cooler, pull out a little extra cash then hit the road; not having a particular destination in mind.
   Every time I look at the above picture I recall the first time I saw a Redwood tree, (a real tree, is the way I thought of it then). I grew up in small towns that were surrounded by sagebrush, cactus, and sometimes wildflowers - and this odd kind of tree (can't recall the name of it now), but it had an odd smell, always made me sneeze.
    I told my Mother I wanted to some day see the rest of where I lived. Thinking I meant California, she said it wouldn't take that long; California wasn't as big as some of the other states. I hadn't meant Calif., I'd meant that I wanted to see all of United States, every state. I thought of the other states as home too, so when my husband and I got the opportunity to go trucking, it was a dream come true.

 I had no idea I'd experience so many different languages and accents,  food and dress, different kinds of weather (from one extreme to the other). And  the people? Awesome! Everybody we met was so warm and open, so friendly and helpful. It was such fun to run into other truckers and their families from time-to-time; to sometimes have dinner together, or just a quick cup of coffee, while drivers swapped stories, each one trying to outdo the other.
                                                          
Our country is made up of so many beautiful things:  sunsets, diamond filled skies, forests, mountains, oceans, and flowers of every color, each one permeating the air with it's own unique fragrance. The deserts are dry and dead looking midst the noon day sun, but come nightfall, the view can bring a man to his knees.

It's amazing what nature can teach us, or a photo, and  our world is one huge photo, isn't it? Everything we look at can teach us something, if we're willing to learn and listen.
   The photo in todays entry is quieting, soothing, reminds me to not keep my comfort zone too small, to stretch it? Why? Because limiting myself causes me to miss out on some of life's best experiences.
Life is meant to be  lived! We are to be participants, not just observers.
Without jumping into it with both feet, without daring to try new things, we'll just exist; will  do nothing more than what we did yesterday, and the day before that. Routines are good; but for life to be balanced we need variety.
   A little variety goes a long way. It lessens depression, keeps us from being bored, and if we've added exercise to our "To Do " list, it lowers blood pressure, and stress levels. We'll sleep better, feel better, and if we 'stick with it', perhaps we'll even rediscover what it means to have fun.

Life  is difficult these days, it's true.  But we can't allow the difficult moments to overshadow today's blessings. We have to remind ourselves that the kind of day we're going to have  depends upon the choices we make, or don't make; upon the things we've been telling ourselves, positive or negative; and how much courage we have.
       The better our choices, the better the day goes. And the more courageous we are, the quicker we discover that we're much stronger than we believe ourselves to be.
    Each trial we go through is one somebody else has already
experienced. It's not as if we're alone. The One who created us is as near as our breath: ready to uplift, strengthen, assist, guide, forgive, and sustain. He was there yesterday,  is here today, and will be here tomorrow, so keep singing, whistling, and making love. Keep playing with your children,  and enjoy your spouse: do something together. Do something for somebody in need too, somebody who wouldn't expect it.

HAVE AN AWESOME DAY.