Miles and Miles

 March was a month full of miles.  Miles flown, miles walked and miles driven. 

We flew up north to watch our grandsons early in March while their parents went to an out of town wedding.  The older they get the easier...and harder this job gets.  I am eternally grateful the internet was not the beast it is now when I was raising my kids.  I would not have been very tolerant! Later in March that same family came down to Texas for their spring break.  We all drove miles and miles of Texas!  We toured Austin, Waco, College Station and Houston along with their universities and various tourist attractions.  It is a treat to be a tourist in your own state and city.  Texas put on a good show for them as it was bluebonnet season and the spring weather was amazing.  Sometimes it all works. 

 

Easter came and went, the dust settled and will be waiting for us once we return from the next adventure.  

To prepare for the next adventure, I logged many miles walking in March. There were days I felt like Forrest Gump! Luckily, again, spring weather was nice. I must say, I do like a nice walk. Of course there are many things I could have and probably should have done instead of walking but there you have it. I walked...to get ready to walk some more. 

We are walking the Camino Ingles April 7-13 and I am reaching out.  When we walked the Portuguese route in 2022 I was excited and nervous.  I had done my homework, I thought I had walked the necessary miles to be ready.  I was still only 6 months out from my ACL replacement, so I wondered if I had it in me and my knee to finish.  We did finish.  I also had some intentions I brought along with me on my pilgrimage.  I remember when we set off on our first day, full of adrenaline and expectations.  I did not need much to motivate me to get to the end of that day's walk, I was on the Camino and I was happy to be there.  Around the point where it began to rain on day two and my feet began to remind me that they didn't really walk over 15 miles a day and the adrenaline had worn off I started to realize I had to find something other than just being on the Camino to motivate me.  I was on a pilgrimage after all.  I decided to pray for different groups of people in my life each day.  One day I prayed for my kids.  One day for my friends.  One day I prayed for the people in my life who died.  By the end though, and let me just say by the end, my feet were aching, I was tired and the rain did not help to keep me in a good mood.  I found myself praying to my Dad and it had a profound affect on me when I finished.  My Dad could not walk much for the last 7 years of his life. I prayed to Dad that I was walking the steps he could not walk in his life.  I found myself crying when we finished at the cathedral.  Probably part exhaustion and part elation.  

We are walking again, this time the Camino Ingles.  I am much stronger than I was last time.  I have found myself wondering though what or who will I pray for this time.  Both my parents are gone and yes, I will carry them with me.  I am in a much different place in life than I was in 2022.  Then it hit me...in church.  I am asking you, my friends, if there is something you would like me to pray for, during my Camino.  I will add you to my prayers while I walk.  I only ask for your prayers in return, that we make it safely without injury.  I don't doubt we will all be fine, but it is still a few more miles than I am used to walking!  My feet will hurt!  I just hope the rest of me doesn't hurt too much either!  

So as I hastily send this out into cyberspace I hope it finds you well! I'll be walking and trying my best to be a good pilgrim.  

Random February Stuff

Remember in school when you had a month to write that paper and found yourself on the last couple of days scrambling to start and finish the paper?  Don't even talk to me if you were the person who had the paper written one week after it was assigned, I can't even comprehend such a thing!  Well, as February is near its end, I find that I have mulled over several blog topics during the month and managed to find dozens of ways not to bring any of them to completion.  Last night, as I lie awake, my mind went through those poor never written blog posts.  There is the one that goes through the playlist of my life.  I see it as the musical score to the many stages of my life.  Someday I really do hope to sit down and write that one.  I am currently just gathering the songs, albums and artists...while not sleeping.  There is the one I come up with a unique thought, finally, and write something eloquent and witty with great perspective.  I reflected on some of my favorite posts and wonder how I was able to come up with those ideas and why my brain just doesn't feel as sharp as it did...8 or 10 years ago!  Hmmm, maybe those 8 or 10 years have something to do with my fading sharpness.  One more reason to put the fingers to the keyboard and write.  But, alas, motivation is fleeting.  I have found that I have also become very skilled at making excuses for just about everything, be it writing, playing good or bad golf, working out, cleaning my house, cooking, yard work...you know...all the "fun" stuff.

February was a good month; it usually is for us.  It began in Park City, Utah with a glass of wine to celebrate the end of dry/damp January and to toast my ski bum obsessed husband who has taken his ski career to the next level.  He was enjoying his season pass for a couple of weeks before I arrived, and he loved every minute of it.  Since I am still retired from my illustrious ski career, spending a month in Park City does not appeal to me as much as it does to him, so we compromise, and I show up for a week of winter.  My sister, Lee Ann, joined us since she loves the snow and visiting winter as much as I do.  No, we really do enjoy it!  We have however, transitioned from skiing to snowshoeing and still get to enjoy being out in the snow plus it gives us a chance to take in some of the views we grew to love.  

I still like to sit at the bottom of the hill
and remember the days I was one of "them".  

From Park City we went to San Francisco to enjoy one of the gifts that comes along with being a grandparent, watching the grandchild while the parents go to an out-of-town wedding.  One of the unfinished blogs for the month was started after our visit to San Francisco when I got home and was bursting with energy that comes with keeping up with a 3-year-old. 

After raising 4 children and grandparenting 6 grandchildren past the age of 3, I have...in my "expert" opinion, decided that 3 must be one of the best ages in life.  We spent a week with our 3-year-old grandson, and it was pure joy.  It reminded me of the precious moments we spent with our other grandchildren at the same age.  There is such joyful innocence in a 3-year-old!  They are no longer "babies", so they talk, run, have developed tastes, have opinions, are soaking up life like sponges, and are more physically and mentally able to enjoy more grown-up activities like going to the zoo and eating sushi.  I did not necessarily notice this every day when my own children were 3 because I lacked the perspective that comes with hindsight.  Sure, there were moments of sweetness when my cup overflowed just watching them explore, play, smile, learn and grow but there were also moments I was just dog paddling to keep my head above the water and get through to the next day.  Grandparents don't have the burden responsibility of raising grandchildren most of the time, we just get to enjoy them and say "yes" a lot more than "no"!  The farther along in my grandparenting life I get, the more I appreciate this!

Yes, you may have a giant donut
if you are a good boy in church!!

I just love following them on the way to "school".

And I did my first Transformer!  
"Gigi can you turn this monster into a truck?"
Only took me 3 days!

The joy and innocence was refreshing and inspiring.  When you get older and are not around children as much you forget how precious it is!

Once we got back home it was Lent.  This year Lent means no weekday drinking for me.  It seemed to be a good behavior pattern in January so I decided to continue, call me crazy.  You would think with all the time and energy I have in the evenings I would be writing a lot more...nope.

I have been doing a lot of walking while listening to books, reading books, working on my golf game and coming up with more creative excuses for my high score.  So far, I have read West with Giraffes (probably not for everyone but I really enjoyed the story!), Things We Never Got Over (had no idea how racy this would be...didn't stop me though😉) and am working on The Five Star Weekend and The Way, My Way.  None of this can be considered fine literature but boy have I enjoyed them.  

I have upped my daily mileage to prepare for another part of the Camino de Santiago.  I said, the minute we finished our first one, that I would do it again in a heartbeat...so here we go.  We plan to walk the Camino Ingles in April after Easter.  It will be a road less traveled.  We are walking with one of TJ's sisters and her husband.  I am very much enjoying my daily walks and am adding miles hoping to be ready and able to enjoy the Way.  San Francisco was great hill training, possibly the only hill training I will get since we live in Texas.  So, either there is a giant carrot dangling in front of me to motivate me or it is whispering in my ear telling me to get up and get going so I can be safe and not sorry.  We shall see.

So that was a lot of random February stuff.  I will pray for inspiration in March during one of my many March miles.  One final thought, if you have stayed with this hot mess this far, spring is in the air and you know what that means...only a few months until shore time!!!  Hang in there folks!

 

Finding the Quiet

We made it!  We survived January!  Well.... one more day.  As I have said many times here on the blog, January is not anyone's favorite month, especially mine.  Just reference your social media...every vlogger, Instagrammer, Facebooker or friend has mentioned how much they don't love January.  I am right there with them, most of the time.  This year January had its definite downs, but it also had some ups.  

Surprisingly, dry January was one of the ups!  For the first time in a while, I really embraced not drinking.  I found that towards the end of the month I wanted less and less to have that glass of wine and have really looked forward to my diet ginger ale at the end of the day.  Party on, January!   I admit a couple of "damp" weekends but for the most part, it was a great January tradition to continue in the future...or even next month.

Instead of drinking I just did a puzzle about it!

We also experienced the usual things that make January a dreary and depressing month.  There was the week of "real" winter and freezing temperatures.  I see those of you up North rolling your eyes, but we do live in Texas!  One night in the middle of the "freeze" I looked at TJ, from my spot under a blanket in front of the fire and exclaimed, "This is why old people move to Florida!".  I have transitioned to the cold years.  For what seemed like 10 years, I was always too hot, and I don't mean in the hubba-hubba way.  Now I find myself checking the thermostat to see if my husband has turned down the temperature, because he has not yet reached the cold years.  We don't really do winter very well here in Texas.

We "saved" the camelia bushes from the freeze. They were full of buds!
This seems to happen every year...

Then there was a week of solid rain.  We have now almost caught up on our cumulative rain deficit in one month.  Between the freeze and the rain my resolution to work diligently on improving my golf game was really challenged.  For a change I have been home for 7 weeks!  Aside from a few days in Baton Rouge for Christmas and a weekend in Dallas, I have been home, and I can't count those as "away" because I drove, and they were nearby.  I figured in 7 weeks my golf game would be in much better shape.  Sadly, it is not.  Let's blame it on "winter conditions".  

January provided me with much needed and appreciated down time.  I know many complained about the slow pace, the dreary conditions, and the lack of alcohol but to quote one of my uncles, "Call me crazy, but I kinda like it!".  I think January is a necessity.  

The last few weeks have provided me with an opportunity to just be still.  Another thing I actually like about January is the hibernation thing.  I remember many years ago when the kids would go back to school after the holidays. We lived in Georgia at the time and winter would inevitably settle in, the dust of the holidays would settle and so would I... with a good book, a fire and a blanket.  I remember feeling guilty for spending a few days just being still.  Of course, back then "still" was a relative term since I had 4 kids under the age of 16 and at least 3 of them were involved in extracurriculars... the stillness only lasted so long.  Another thing to consider is that there was no social media to distract me, so life was already easier to make still.  

Lately there has been a recurring message sent to me from several different sources.  I get a daily reflection sent to my email and the recent posts have recommended being in the quiet.  Time to be quiet and listen.  Sunday at church the homily focused on just being quiet and listening.  There is quiet time spent alone with no distractions or quiet time outdoors.  These are the times we open our minds to ideas, answers, more questions, and if we are lucky...clarity.  Then there is the quiet time we leave in conversations. My kids would refer to this as The Dixon Pause.  If we just listen and leave some space, there is no telling what we can find out about the other person.  Sometimes it is so hard to do this!  I am guilty of closing that space with what I think the person is going to say next or just answering for them.  The magic happens when you leave some space and listen...and sometimes that is hard!  I can remember having serious talks with my kids and having to fight the urge to fill in the spaces.  Sure, sometimes I lost that fight but on occasion, I left some space it was inevitably filled with some good stuff.  

Quiet is at a premium.  We fill our days and nights with noise.  Shoot, I seldom take a walk without listening to a book or a podcast.  Before the availability of these on my device I listened to music, and I think it was probably a lot better for me.  I thought many good thoughts while walking and listening to music.  One good thing about cycling is that I don't listen to anything other than the traffic.  This provides me with a lot of time with my own thoughts.  Win win.  

Quiet lives here. 
 I have logged many miles over the years on this levee.

Cheers to January, the unappreciated month.  If we just listen it is telling us to slow down and hear what it has to share with us.  

  

  

Marketing, Marketing, Marketing

As I returned something to Amazon today, I had a thought...yeah, it happens now and then.  Our easy return choice happens to be going to Whole Foods to return.  Simple and quick...sorta!

There was a steady stream of people coming in and going out of the side entrance/exit with packages to return or ones they had picked up from Amazon.  I thought to myself, "Amazon has created a gathering space!".  There is a constant flow of people in and out and they (Whole Foods) have capitalized on the situation by setting the return space next to the ready-made food section and the bakery.  They are no fools!  "Come on in and return your package and while you are here, please buy some yummy cookies or maybe some delicious bread.  We have also prepared some tasty soups, salads and main dishes for you to take away!  You know you don't want to cook tonight!".  This is what beckons you as you wait a couple of minutes to get your phone scanned, turn around and attempt to leave but get distracted.

After I quickly returned my goods, I just had to peruse the produce section of the store to see what they had that my much more affordable Kroger did not have.  Well...I fell prey to the sample of clementines.  I tasted one and they were delicious!  Yes, I bought a bag of clementines that TJ and I will be eating until the end of the month!  Once home I ate 2! and they were both just as good as the one in the store.  Maybe I just needed some vitamin C!

Anyway...the genius who came up with Amazon return at Whole Foods should get a pat on the back because I not only appreciated the easy return process, I bought clementines and some yummy granola.  And...I will probably be back next week...for more produce or to return more stuff from Amazon!