Change Of Vision . . .

Strolling With My Beautiful Daughters

Four hundred miles west of home, I settle in to work in the Weather Station. The morning sun shimmers off the Bering Sea and the area’s rugged geology speaks to the story of time. Driving to the Station, I stop, roll down the window and listen and watch as mountain runoff roars and rushes down a rocky creek bed toward the sea. And the warm morning air on my skin incites feelings of elation; winter ceded.

On the beach, below the runway and off to the North a bit, a walrus carcass attracts local grizzlies. A few nights ago, a brown brute of a beast walked up to camp and appeared outside my bedroom window. I watched from my safe haven as it meandered partway up the mountain and then veered off toward the East. A red fox took to hunting on a knoll a short distance from the kitchen window at camp and a herd of caribou passed through with their gangly newborns.

After two glorious months off, I feel revived and ready to be back to the business at hand. I look out the windows of the Weather Station, assess the elements and disseminate my observation. I sit back in my chair and as I keep my eyes to the sky, I reminisce on the simple pleasures that shaped my holiday.
                                                                                                   
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Picking me up from the airport, after a long work assignment, a familiar face greets with her customary, “Welcome home, honey” and friendly embrace. My sweet friend orchestrated an evening of laughter over dinner during a comedy show topped off with karaoke, a fire under the night sky and a slumber party at another friend’s home.

In the beginning, I purchased tickets to travel during my vacation. But, circumstances changed, so, I embraced.

Red faced from blowing up balloons that littered the kitchen and living room floors, my family and I prepared to entertain a houseful of teens. Streamers and a Happy Birthday banner lent a festive air. The barbecue grill smoked out on the patio as a rousing game of Apples to Apples filled the house with competitive laughter. A snowball fight ensued with shrieks and chasing and tackling. And water spilled over onto the deck as the party moved into the hot tub.

Precious moments, sweet interactions and quiet rest filled my time. I picked up one of my grands from their very first day in the work force and we talked and talked away the miles during a road trip to the Peninsula. Peaceful walks, soulful sharing, laughter, hot tubbing, visits and meals with family and friends . . . the Slush Cup in Girdwood, an overnight trip to Homer and a week in a cabin in the woods on Kenai Lake blessed and refreshed.

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Several months ago I carefully set forth my plans for 2022. I calendared out and budget for a ‘semi-retirement’ that necessitates I work a mere half of the year. Thus, I’ve eagerly anticipated checking off a couple of my long-held Bucket List items; pack out and hike the thirty-seven miles of K’esugi Ridge and road trip the lower 48 States. But . . . alas, once again, I face shifts, more change. Instead, I’ll work through my hike this summer and I’ll serve on jury duty this Fall, right in the middle of my two months off, instead of driving the scenic highways and byway.

I do not deny contending with disappointment and a rather grumpy-pants kind of attitude at times. I’d so set my heart on adventure. But I have learned that when things work to erode my aspirations, I am more apt to maintain my peace when I give thanks instead of issuing grumblings. When I appreciate the beauty that makes up my day-to-day life, it is here that I open my heart to opportunities I could not have otherwise conceived.

March Through May did not unfold quite as I'd planned, as I’d wanted, but during my time off of work, life certainly presented me with exactly what my heart needed. In its gloriously messy way, life is so very good.

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