Scattered Thoughts

Wow!  It has been a long time since I posted.  I was on vacation, and it was one of those busy vacations, where you do lots of stuff with people.  I really like people, and I like to do stuff, and I like to be busy, but it didn't leave me much time to contemplate and gather my thoughts into cohesive ideas.

So, I decided rather than wait until I had time to coalesce these thoughts, I would present them to you as they are.

Traveling to a new geography is a wonderful thing.  Seeing sights you have never seen before opens you up to new ideas as well.    I was in Maine.   The shoreline is very rocky there, as glaciers broke apart the land mass and scattered rocky islands along the coast.  Seeing how harsh the land is, I found myself marveling at the people who had the courage to settle this land.  I wonder how they even scaled the rocks to find land, and how they found food in the winters.   I find myself appreciating the power of the human spirit, and our perseverance in surviving against difficult odds.

As I pass the homes, I wonder about the lives of the people that live there.   We heard on a tour that there are 4,800 year-round residents in Bar Harbor, and they host 3-4 million people a year as guests.  What a topsy-turvy life that must create.   I wonder how the locals feel about the summer people.   I wonder what it is like to have so many people in summer, and so few in winter.  I wonder what it is like to follow tourism for your work.  Our waitress from Sunday night was travelling to Sarasota, FL soon for her winter job.  I don't know how well I would cope with living half a year in two different places, yet many retirees I know do just that, so maybe as a working person it is fine too.

Living in the deep South, I have that deep-rooted pride in our hospitality, and often believe that I live in the friendliest place on earth.   Traveling to other tourist destinations reminds me that there are plenty of friendly places and people on this earth, but I admit I like the Southern Louisiana brand of friendly best of all.

I also noticed how homogeneous the United States has become.   I remember traveling as a child, even just going from New Jersey to Pennsylvania or New York, the stores were all different.  The restaurants were different.  Now, there is a Chili's, an Olive Garden, a McDonald's, a Home Depot, a Walmart, a Best Buy, and so on, everywhere you go.

That was a cool thing about Bar Harbor - it still has mainly family owned local restaurants - much like the City of New Orleans.

Then I think about that too.  When my husband and I take a driving trip, we like to eat at chain restaurants, because you know what you are going to get.  It may never be great - but it is predictable.  So the homogeneity has a value - but it is disconcerting to be "Anywhere, USA" sometimes.

This trip was planned in the spring, so I had been looking forward to it for a long time, and I really enjoyed myself, but I was really glad to get home and see my dogs, too.

So, I guess that is the essence of my scattered thoughts.  Life is always a mixed bag of good and not so good.   And the not so good in one circumstance is the good in another.

Every day is an opportunity to find the good, appreciate the unique gifts that day and the people in it can bring to your life.

I know that life is hard for many people.   Facing illness, or death, or poverty are dispiriting and it is easy to lose hope.

But hope is all we have.  So wherever you can, find the good.   See the gift.  Be grateful for the small.   Hold on to hope with both hands.

And when the world seems hopeless, remember that there are many people who may not know you, but love you anyway.  Try to plug into the good karma in the universe and feel that caring surrounding you, giving you the strength to keep going.

Wishing you all the very best.........