The geese are back, and man, are they eating well. I like to start my mornings with a robust walk, and it’s turned into an exercise in agility, dodging all the goose poop along the route. But it’s always a time to clear my head, center my thoughts for the day and have a good conversation with myself. Guess what conclusion I came to today?
I am back! The amazing part – you probably never knew I was gone.
It’s been two weeks since we returned from our three month venture to Arizona which included a 14 day swing through seven states on the way home. Once the laundry was done, the mail sorted, and the suitcases tucked back into the storage area for a while, I couldn’t find a lick of ambition. None. Anywhere. I was in a post-vacation funk, with little interest in anything.
Has that ever happened to you? I’ll confess, this isn’t the first time, but the funk lasted two weeks. Oh sure, I still showered and washed my hair, and still got out and did my walk. But the lure of the deck and the nice warm weather we had upon our return beckoned me to sit outside and read. And that’s all I wanted to do. And I loved it.
Last week, I returned to work, which was good. Then I planted my garden, and had a short bike ride – both great. But it wasn’t until this morning when I finally told myself, “That’s it, get over it, time to move on.” For the first time, I really feel back to my old self. Anyway… enough of that.
The trip was another introspective experience for me. I saw a cowboy on his horse herding cattle in Wyoming, an elderly Native American woman sweeping the entry of her adobe dwelling in northern Arizona, and three young African American men strolling through the campus of Tuskegee Institute on a Saturday morning, and I came away wondering, how can our government possibly meet the needs of its electorate?
Travel helps me become more empathetic toward people from all backgrounds and in all circumstances. From the urban mother of three who lives in public housing with no safe green space for her children, to rural ranchers whose backyard is thousands of acres. It helps me consider the complexities of immigration when I see the immigrant laborers picking my fruits and vegetables. It challenges my views on issues like natural resources preservation, and desiring high quality products at a low cost. And it helps me question my own wants and needs against those richer and those poorer.
Our country is a kaleidoscope; it looks different with each turn, but regardless, the view is still beautiful. We are in an exciting time for our country as we move toward the election of a new president in five months, and I’m hopeful the candidates will stop flinging their own brand of goose poop long enough to consider the needs of the American people.
I’m done wandering. I’ll be back next week, and I promise, I won’t be so philosophical.
Sounds as if you had a most interesting three months and so enjoy your blog, but I also enjoy hearing about your adventures and seeing your pictures. I hope that you will share them at a senior get together at RTC. I so enjoyed your African and European adventures. Thanks for sharing.
Kay, thank you so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate the comment. I’ll tell Kathy to connect with RTC, and who knows – maybe we can get a free lunch there again some time!
As usual, thought-provoking as well as entertaining! I wish I could post the photo I shot in our neighborhood the other night. Our association puts up these very “scary” fake dogs (or maybe they’re supposed to be coyotes, or something – I’m really not sure). Anyway, their job is to frighten the geese away, and thus lower the chances of stepping in goose goop on the grass or on your pier. In the photo, you can clearly see that the geese are NOT fooled. There are probably 10 or so adult geese, and at least that many young ones, all huddled around and UNDER the “dogs.” We just chuckled at this human attempt to foil nature.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, and I got the picture – it is so funny. Last year, we had a blinking light in the small man made lake behind me, and that seemed to keep them away. This year, they are back with a vengeance.
Re-entry is always difficult for me too. Now that I don’t have a job demanding my time, it is challenging to get focused. I have figured out that I need to make commitments or I waste my time being aimless. I now have time to commit to fun things, but I still need the discipline to stay focused.
Glad to hear I’m not the only one. At least I was reading a lot, so that was good. But the structure of work helped my get back in sync. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I knew you were gone! I look forward to your blog and so enjoy reading about your adventures and travels. Glad you’re back!
Thanks Anne. No more travels for a while, so I’ll have to find other adventures! I always appreciate that you and others take the time to comment.
When visiting the Edsel Ford Estate, they had Goose Decoys (dead) laying around to deter
the geese!
Nothing deters a goose on the hunt, I’ve discovered. But that’s a good strategy. Thanks for the comment.