The Ticker Tape of My Mind...

Thoughts are scrolling through my mind like a ticker tape at the bottom of the screen on a news channel. The highlight reel of the past few days would read something like this:

A perfectly fine Friday was spent meeting up with My Sister for lunch, at the halfway point between our two homes. We were accompanied by our aunt and her sister and a wonderful time was had by all. Roads were spring-like, the sky was clear and it was a great day for a road trip.

An unexpected invitation on Saturday took me out of the house and meeting up with my Middle Son, who then proceeded to take us on a country drive so we could go and check out the four, 1/4 sections of land Dad once farmed; passed along to Mom and is presently owned by all four of their children. 

It was another perfect day for a drive, the clouds parted and the sun shone through and smiled down on us as we walked on the soil that was handed down from Dad's dad, to Dad and his brother. The land has been sold to two great grandsons of Grandpa's. I could almost feel Dad smiling down upon us as we walked through all four fields. "I'll never wash these shoes again", was my acclamation after my son asked me how it felt to walk on the land my dad had once farmed.

Sunday was another day which was touched with perfection. Meeting up with a childhood friend for brunch (my son and I drove past her old farm yard, just down the road from where we lived) set the scene for a visit which lasted for hours. There is nothing quite like a friendship that transcends time. We've quite literally known each other "forever" and our conversation was that of someone you share a lifetime of history with.

It was a let down to come home at the end of that day and have the last few "plans of the weekend" be aborted without notice. Normally, I would relish in the unexpected gift of savoring the last few hours of such a memorable weekend by myself. But my contentment came to an unexpected halt after a brief conversation which took a turn I wasn't expecting.

Digging up the remnants of a life I once lived put a cloud over an otherwise perfect weekend. This is why I don't like digging up the skeletons of the past. I thought I had dealt with, resolved and come to terms with life as I knew it. The unfortunate truth is the "ripple" of a pebble cast decades ago still has the power to overturn my life raft without warning. 

Onto a fresh, new week. I don't have quite as many "hard things" to conquer this week. Simply opening my eyes each morning and trying to recreate what worked for me last week will be challenge enough.

Exercise, write, eat well, socialize and looking forward are on today's menu of events. Onward. It is the only right direction to take.