Well, I made it to California and back. I didn't die. Ironically, I'm more surprised that I didn't die in the LA traffic than I am that I didn't die on the plane. So, as it turns out, all the worrying was for nothing...as you all suspected all along.
Most of you that read this blog are my Facebook friends, so you have seen all the pictures and the blow by blow of our adventure, so there isn't much need to go over the details of the trip. There were many moments that made me laugh, some that made me cry and a lot of moments in the rented convertible Mustang that allowed me much time to think. Thinking is what really fuels most of my blogs, so I figured I would share some thoughts. None of them particularly hilarious or awe inspiring, but just a little of what rambles around in my head.
I should start with saying, the reason we were in California was for a memorial service. It was not intended to be a "fun trip," but we added a couple of days onto our time there, since we never really get a vacation that allows us to go anywhere fun. Our vacations involve a day or two in the truck driving to a location that isn't too far from home, like the WA or OR coast.
On this trip to CA, we got to see one of my dearest friends and her partner in crime, my beloved "LA Girls." We stayed up until midnight on the first night I was there. Never a lull in the conversation, just talking about life and relationships and all that stuff that you talk about with your closest friends. We don't get to see each other much, we don't really talk on the phone, we just know the other is there if we should ever need them. We just have that bond that ties us, even after all these years. We have known each other since I was four years old and she was six. Life took us our separate ways shortly after high school, but we've always remained close. You cannot put a value on that kind of friendship, nor ever take it for granted, yet sometimes, I think I probably do.
Beyond that wonderful, short time with the LA Girls, Shark Bait and I explored as much of the surrounding area as we could and enjoyed riding around in the Mustang convertible. I allowed myself to relax and really enjoy just driving around with no particular agenda, just being. We bought some silly straw hats that kept us from burning our heads under the hot California sun and drove around like the tourists we were. It was a great time.
On the third day of our trip, it was time to go to the memorial for Shark Bait's uncle, Ed. Uncle Ed passed suddenly a few months back and now it was time to say the official good-bye. He was a retired Forest Service Firefighter and so, when we drove up to the Forest Service Ranger Station where the service was to be held, there was the truck he had driven when he retired. There, along side the truck was a uniform laid out. As soon as I saw it, tears ran down my face. Such an striking image. Preparing for the service were a group of "Hot Shot" fire fighters and many Forest Service members. It was touching that they had all come together for this service. There was much sharing and story telling about this man's life and the kind of person he was. I thought, this is what it is all about. Not fame, not fortune, not how much money you have when you die, but people gathering together to say that you inspired them, that you made an imprint in their life, that their life is better because of you, that you made them laugh. And, even in your passing, people can tell stories and your life adventures, no matter how small, can still make them smile. That people can say your proudest moment of your career is that no one got hurt on your watch. That's amazing. What a legacy to leave behind.
I can't imagine what it must feel like for Shark Bait's Aunt. To go to bed at night and not have that person there. To know all the fun things they had planned will go undone. To know, that what you have to hang on to is the memories. I know what it feels like to lose a parent. I lost my Dad in 2011. I miss him some days so much it hurts. And I remember stories that make me smile, or make me sad, but I still have days where I just really want to hug him. I don't really want to think about losing Shark Bait, but God willing, I won't have to for a long time. This memorial service, however, is a painful reminder that we don't get to choose and we sure as heck don't always get a warning that it's coming to an end.
These are the thoughts that roamed through my head as we drove home that night. Just Shark Bait and I driving in the convertible, top down on a warm summer night. The radio was set to a Country music station that seemed to be playing all the classic songs from the last 10-20 years that really tugged at my heart. We drove in silence, each of us in our own thoughts. I leaned my head back and looked up at the stars as we drove 70 mph down whatever interstate that was. At that moment I thought, if something suddenly happened to Shark Bait, I would remember this car ride as one of our best times. Side by side, we had enjoyed the last couple of days, we were relaxed, we were happy. We held hands everywhere we had went and even now, in the quiet of the car ride, Shark Bait would reach over and grab my hand. No cares, no worries, just feeling the warm air and listening to the music and watching the stars and landscape go by. It's a kind of mental freedom we don't allow ourselves very often. Well, especially me. I'm always worrying about something. But at that moment, I didn't care about the bank account, I didn't care about what was going on at home, I didn't care how fat I was (okay, that's kind of a lie, I did a little), I just enjoyed that moment and I knew somehow, we'd be okay.
We flew back home the next day and settled back into the daily grind of our work week. As we are coming up on the weekend again, I can't help but wish we had the convertible again to run away on some other adventure. And, no, Shark Bait, driving around in your 1946 Willy's is not the same as the 2015 Mustang. It's just not. We'll have to find different transportation for our future adventures.
Anyway, I just thought I would share my moment of clarity out there on the California desert highway and say that I will always remember Shark Bait's uncle for the great man he was, but that in a way, he kind of gave us one last gift by giving us a reason to go to California to create those memories.
In the end, memories are all we have. It's like old Curly said in the movie City Slickers, "You know what the secret to life is? This...this one thing...you stick to that and everything else don't mean shit." And then Billy Crystal's character says, "That's great, but what's that one thing?" And Curly says, "That's what you gotta figure out." All this day to day stuff doesn't mean shit. The moments you enjoy and hold on to, those are the moments that make life worthwhile.
Pretty much everything we need to figure out in life is a movie quote, we just need to shut up and watch the movie.
Most of you that read this blog are my Facebook friends, so you have seen all the pictures and the blow by blow of our adventure, so there isn't much need to go over the details of the trip. There were many moments that made me laugh, some that made me cry and a lot of moments in the rented convertible Mustang that allowed me much time to think. Thinking is what really fuels most of my blogs, so I figured I would share some thoughts. None of them particularly hilarious or awe inspiring, but just a little of what rambles around in my head.
I should start with saying, the reason we were in California was for a memorial service. It was not intended to be a "fun trip," but we added a couple of days onto our time there, since we never really get a vacation that allows us to go anywhere fun. Our vacations involve a day or two in the truck driving to a location that isn't too far from home, like the WA or OR coast.
On this trip to CA, we got to see one of my dearest friends and her partner in crime, my beloved "LA Girls." We stayed up until midnight on the first night I was there. Never a lull in the conversation, just talking about life and relationships and all that stuff that you talk about with your closest friends. We don't get to see each other much, we don't really talk on the phone, we just know the other is there if we should ever need them. We just have that bond that ties us, even after all these years. We have known each other since I was four years old and she was six. Life took us our separate ways shortly after high school, but we've always remained close. You cannot put a value on that kind of friendship, nor ever take it for granted, yet sometimes, I think I probably do.
 |
| Me & the LA Girls. <3 |
Beyond that wonderful, short time with the LA Girls, Shark Bait and I explored as much of the surrounding area as we could and enjoyed riding around in the Mustang convertible. I allowed myself to relax and really enjoy just driving around with no particular agenda, just being. We bought some silly straw hats that kept us from burning our heads under the hot California sun and drove around like the tourists we were. It was a great time.
 |
| Rednecks in a convertible - accidental tourists |
On the third day of our trip, it was time to go to the memorial for Shark Bait's uncle, Ed. Uncle Ed passed suddenly a few months back and now it was time to say the official good-bye. He was a retired Forest Service Firefighter and so, when we drove up to the Forest Service Ranger Station where the service was to be held, there was the truck he had driven when he retired. There, along side the truck was a uniform laid out. As soon as I saw it, tears ran down my face. Such an striking image. Preparing for the service were a group of "Hot Shot" fire fighters and many Forest Service members. It was touching that they had all come together for this service. There was much sharing and story telling about this man's life and the kind of person he was. I thought, this is what it is all about. Not fame, not fortune, not how much money you have when you die, but people gathering together to say that you inspired them, that you made an imprint in their life, that their life is better because of you, that you made them laugh. And, even in your passing, people can tell stories and your life adventures, no matter how small, can still make them smile. That people can say your proudest moment of your career is that no one got hurt on your watch. That's amazing. What a legacy to leave behind.
 |
| I don't care who you are, if that doesn't tug at your heart, I don't know what to say. |
I can't imagine what it must feel like for Shark Bait's Aunt. To go to bed at night and not have that person there. To know all the fun things they had planned will go undone. To know, that what you have to hang on to is the memories. I know what it feels like to lose a parent. I lost my Dad in 2011. I miss him some days so much it hurts. And I remember stories that make me smile, or make me sad, but I still have days where I just really want to hug him. I don't really want to think about losing Shark Bait, but God willing, I won't have to for a long time. This memorial service, however, is a painful reminder that we don't get to choose and we sure as heck don't always get a warning that it's coming to an end.
These are the thoughts that roamed through my head as we drove home that night. Just Shark Bait and I driving in the convertible, top down on a warm summer night. The radio was set to a Country music station that seemed to be playing all the classic songs from the last 10-20 years that really tugged at my heart. We drove in silence, each of us in our own thoughts. I leaned my head back and looked up at the stars as we drove 70 mph down whatever interstate that was. At that moment I thought, if something suddenly happened to Shark Bait, I would remember this car ride as one of our best times. Side by side, we had enjoyed the last couple of days, we were relaxed, we were happy. We held hands everywhere we had went and even now, in the quiet of the car ride, Shark Bait would reach over and grab my hand. No cares, no worries, just feeling the warm air and listening to the music and watching the stars and landscape go by. It's a kind of mental freedom we don't allow ourselves very often. Well, especially me. I'm always worrying about something. But at that moment, I didn't care about the bank account, I didn't care about what was going on at home, I didn't care how fat I was (okay, that's kind of a lie, I did a little), I just enjoyed that moment and I knew somehow, we'd be okay.
We flew back home the next day and settled back into the daily grind of our work week. As we are coming up on the weekend again, I can't help but wish we had the convertible again to run away on some other adventure. And, no, Shark Bait, driving around in your 1946 Willy's is not the same as the 2015 Mustang. It's just not. We'll have to find different transportation for our future adventures.
Anyway, I just thought I would share my moment of clarity out there on the California desert highway and say that I will always remember Shark Bait's uncle for the great man he was, but that in a way, he kind of gave us one last gift by giving us a reason to go to California to create those memories.
In the end, memories are all we have. It's like old Curly said in the movie City Slickers, "You know what the secret to life is? This...this one thing...you stick to that and everything else don't mean shit." And then Billy Crystal's character says, "That's great, but what's that one thing?" And Curly says, "That's what you gotta figure out." All this day to day stuff doesn't mean shit. The moments you enjoy and hold on to, those are the moments that make life worthwhile.
Pretty much everything we need to figure out in life is a movie quote, we just need to shut up and watch the movie.
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| Angry Pony loves Shark Bait |
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