2/3/2025
When I was a little girl I could never get enough coloring books and crayons. To this day, I enjoy coloring, although I prefer children's coloring books to adults. I also prefer crayolas to colored pencils. Crayons have an alluring smell, whereas pencils smell like pencils. No character. It's kind of like Play-doh and ordinary clay...no comparison. I can understand why a child might be tempted to take a bite of Play-doh, as the smell is so delicious-smelling. No, I haven't tasted it myself.
This little one reminds me of myself, even the expression on her face gives the impression that still waters run deep. I was a handful, I can imagine. Not that I misbehaved, but I loved adventure. The woods were my friend, and the trees my shelter, and the cave a great hideout. I loved to see what was beyond the safety of the home and deeper in the woods.
Being carefree and not afraid to hop into the car and go across country alone earned me a few laurels. I enjoy the quiet, but at the same time, I enjoy sharing the ride. Since my return to Virginia the end of 2021, the furthest I have traveled has been about 200 miles one way. The distance from my place in New Mexico to my home is a little under 2,000 miles, and I've traveled that road more than once in my lifetime. I hope I'll be able to do so again this spring. Maybe I'll map out an alternative route to make things more exciting. Who knows?! At any rate it's going to be fun planning my next grand adventure. Maybe I'm part Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins of the Shire was one to seek out adventures, as long as he wasn't too far from home where he could relax comfortably in his armchair and have several meals a day. I guess there's something to be said about that!
A friend gave me a necklace that has a message on either side. On one it reads, "Trust Your Crazy Ideas," and on the other, "Always Color Outside the Lines." She knows me well. To me there is always the bigger picture, or it's perhaps something I want to see. Our perception of things can often be misinterpreted from emotionalism or simply listening to the opinion of others. My grandfather, Papa, had an expression he used about opinions of others, as did my mother. But I won't share their somewhat colorful analogies with you. No matter how crude, they were accurate. My Papa use to love to hop in the car and take a ride. He spoiled me with trips to Jamestown, Williamsburg, Goshen or anywhere I wanted to go. He loved to see different places, but he never got a chance to travel. When my parents visited me in New Mexico, they drove, and mama always regretted that Papa died without traveling any great distance. She said he'd love the drive to New Mexico. My daddy did, and he was quite the socialite at high school graduation parties, decked out in his jeans and cowboy shirt, boots and hat. Yahoo!! He was home! I think I must have gotten my adventurous spirit from him. He did travel as a semi-truck driver - long hauls and short hauls - and when he retired, he and mama traveled to different states to enjoy country and bluegrass music and to stop by the homes of friends they'd met on their trips. I'm glad they were able to enjoy their retirement years. How I wish they were still here. I miss them so.
I'm not certain about the path my journey will take me. Maybe near, maybe far, maybe right here where I am. Wherever Abba leads me, I'll go or stay. I have my dreams. Each day is a new day, and there are miles to go before I sleep.
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep."
Robert Frost
"Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening"
No comments:
Post a Comment