There is a saying that you can't put your foot in the same river twice,
because the river is constantly moving, constantly changing.
Our days are like that too,
if we let them be.
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Do you ever wish that a movie or book would go on for just a little longer,
so that you could see how things worked out later, after the happy or tragic ending?
For some reason a very old joke came to mind and I imagined it as a story
that might have had different endings or continuings in different decades.
Here's the joke:
A guy with an artificial eye goes to a dance.
He's painfully shy and self conscious, but he is determined to ask at least one girl to dance
before the night is over.
Well, time is running out, so he decides to ask the girl,
who's been sitting alone all night and who has an artificial leg.
He supposes that she might be like him,
shy and never been to a dance before.
So he gets up his courage, walks over to her, takes a deep breath,
and asks her if she would like to dance.
She is so excited, she shouts out her response,
"WOULD I!!!?"
He misunderstands her meaning and shouts back at her,
"PEG LEG",
and stomps away.
That's the end of the joke, you can laugh now and then imagine different endings in different decades!
1950's – Same ending, not a chance of reaching an understanding.
1960's – Chances are slightly better, but probably not.
1970 – 2000's – These decades incrementally provide a better atmosphere
for these two vulnerable people to come to an understanding, have a good laugh,
dance and date and get married,
living happily ever after!
THE END
ALMOST
The accompanying photo is the best I could do on this day!
Pirate Nutcracker found at Expressions Art and Gifts, 5 Spanish Street, St. Augustine, where you can also find Laine's photographs!
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When we realize that we are the ones writing our own stories,
it comes with a certain acceptance that some of the "well intentioned" institutions
of our childhoods (church, school, family) might have led us astray –
for a decade or two or three,
like this runaway buoy that, were it still functioning and emitting a beacon,
might misguide an unwitting sailor on some foggy night and guide her straight into the shore.
We certainly do run aground more that a few times in the course of a lifetime.
If we can get over the anger and bitterness and all of the other uncomfortable feelings that arise,
at least it can serve to make the story more interesting
and we can really become the Captains of our souls.
(And we might finally learn the difference between functional and dysfunctional!)
Now, that's a healthy aid to navigation!
Buoy #7 lost on land on Anastasia Island. Buoy #3 floating soundly in Cape Cod Bay.
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Everyone has a story.
This guy was picking up dead fish
just outside the perimeter set by the beach re-nourishment team,
back in September.
Someone asked him if the fish had died because of the pumping of the sand onto the beach,
and he said, no, that he didn't know what had killed them.
But that's not his story either.
It's his job.
His story is deeper.
You have to dig deeper to get his real story.
And in the end he's the only one who will know the whole story of his life,
the true story.
More on stories tomorrow!
St. Augustine Beach
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Will it be easier to stay focused in 2013?
It kind of feels like it will be!
Probably too early to tell!
Spanish moss hanging on a Live Oak tree at Washington Oaks State Park, Florida.
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"…if a mirror ever makes
you sad
you should know
that it does
not know
you."
Excerpt from the poem, Where Do The Eyes of Women Fall?, by Kabir, a 15th century Indian poet/songwriter, lovingly translated by Daniel Ladinsky in the Penguin Publication, Love Poems From God, Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, and used with his permission, © 2002.
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A beautiful day to start the year.
Lucky me, I got to spend most of it walking barefoot on this beach,
and resting my perfectly weathered head on a perfectly placed log.
How was your first day, of this odd year?
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Three Angels going wild in front of a "green screen",
at the Delaware Children's Museum, last June.
Do something wild and crazy in this New Year!
Happy Happy, New Year, Everyone!
And thanks for a great year!
My three favorite young nieces, at the Children's Museum, in Wilmington Delaware.
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If you had a watchdog like that you would sleep like a baby too!
Me, I had to give up coffee for a couple of days
and hire a cat!
Happy New Year's Eve, Everyone!
Keep safe.
Adios 2012!
It has been a very interesting year, indeed!
On with the new!
Aden asleep in the great outdoors, with his dog watching, just the other day!
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Petal by petal, this rose is put together,
blooming at the end of a sturdy stem,
just like us!
In the rose garden at Washington Oaks State Park, Florida, December 2012.
Lainesblog Thinking Out Loud
Gleanings From Living Long
Lainesblog Thinking Out Loud 