"...it's the journey that matters..."
Quote by Ernest Hemmingway
My musings for 7/5/2010
Quote by Ernest Hemmingway
My musings for 7/5/2010
Early in life I imagined my journey would be like a freeway trip from one place to another. Instead it is more like a series of country roads, over hills, through valleys, and across vast expanses, with several crossroads along the way. What excellent adventures I've had! I've had few, if any, regrets because each twist and turn resulted in rewards or learning experiences. I'd like to take credit for excellent planning, but there has been some good fortune along the way.
Aging has its benefits. I find I am much less unsettled by unexpected events. When unexpected events occur I may initially feel unsettled, but I quickly remember that most things that happen lead to something interesting or exciting, or meant to be. Often I have looked back in amazement at a series of unplanned or unexpected events that led to something wonderful. I have come to embrace curious events and the journey that ensues. There is definitely a spiritual aspect to it.
The most enjoyable part of my journey through life has been my journey with my family. Del, my husband, and I met at the right time and the right place and in the right circumstances for both of us. We are best friends. We have made a beautiful family, faced many challenges, and shared many joys. Our journey together through life is a wonderful gift. Our sons are incredible, and I'm happy to say that they are our friends as well as our sons. Being a grandparent is an amazing experience. Watching our grandchildren begin their own journeys is a great joy. I am grateful for my family in my journey in this life with them.
Sometimes my husband apologizes for moving us several times in our early marriage. I always tell him that we have had some great experiences and seen some great places as a result of those moves. We wouldn't have ended up in the Southwest if we hadn't made those moves. This is where we belong, where our children are settled, and where the weather suits my clothes, to take a quote Midnight Cowboy. Along the way we lived in beautiful mountains of Northeast Oregon, the wilds of Alaska, and finally to the wide open spaces of the Southwest. I would not have wanted anything different to have happened. Sure, it would have been easier and less risky to have stayed where we were in Western Oregon, but then we wouldn't have had some of the adventures or seen some of the wonderful places and met some interesting people along the way.
My career was less adventuresome, but there was a journey. I began working as a nurses aide in my teens, then I was an RN for several years. While our children were still young I wanted to go back to school to become a Family Practice physician assistant. My husband and children supported me in that decision. It was difficult because we changed from living on two incomes to living on one income, and my time and efforts were consumed by the rigorous education and training. As with other parts of my life's journey, it was part of destiny. I initially was uncertain of where I wanted to work as a PA, but I quickly learned that rural medicine was my calling. That is what I do and what I love doing. Caring for families who have chosen a rural lifestyle suits me and I truly see it as a calling rather than a job. I feel blessed to do that kind of work.
My interest in a variety of arts and crafts is another part of my journey. I find such joy in many different arts and crafts that I am not expert in any of them. Learning as much as I can about a particular art or craft when I'm feeling inspired to do so is fun, and then having the courage to try something new is great. The only down side has been the cost of starting so many different interests, but that has been worth it. If I feel like painting and I have the time, I paint. If I feel like building something and I have the time, we build it. I find it relaxing and fun. I think that finding those moments in ones journey is important.
It appears that the next part of our journey is to relocate to Southwest New Mexico where I'll be working most days each week. As far as I can predict that will be our last stop in terms of location. I'm looking forward to gardening, raising chickens, and maybe raising a hog or a steer. I like to live a simple life. I've grown to want the simplest life possible. I'm grateful for what we have. It gives me peace in this journey to have what we need and not to have a burning desire to have the biggest, the most, the best, or the fanciest. It's ok with me if other people strive for those things. They just aren't important to me because my journey is about relationships and nature, not things.
It hasn't been a freeway from one destination to another. My journey has been much more interesting than that, and I look forward to the rest of my journey.
Aging has its benefits. I find I am much less unsettled by unexpected events. When unexpected events occur I may initially feel unsettled, but I quickly remember that most things that happen lead to something interesting or exciting, or meant to be. Often I have looked back in amazement at a series of unplanned or unexpected events that led to something wonderful. I have come to embrace curious events and the journey that ensues. There is definitely a spiritual aspect to it.
The most enjoyable part of my journey through life has been my journey with my family. Del, my husband, and I met at the right time and the right place and in the right circumstances for both of us. We are best friends. We have made a beautiful family, faced many challenges, and shared many joys. Our journey together through life is a wonderful gift. Our sons are incredible, and I'm happy to say that they are our friends as well as our sons. Being a grandparent is an amazing experience. Watching our grandchildren begin their own journeys is a great joy. I am grateful for my family in my journey in this life with them.
Sometimes my husband apologizes for moving us several times in our early marriage. I always tell him that we have had some great experiences and seen some great places as a result of those moves. We wouldn't have ended up in the Southwest if we hadn't made those moves. This is where we belong, where our children are settled, and where the weather suits my clothes, to take a quote Midnight Cowboy. Along the way we lived in beautiful mountains of Northeast Oregon, the wilds of Alaska, and finally to the wide open spaces of the Southwest. I would not have wanted anything different to have happened. Sure, it would have been easier and less risky to have stayed where we were in Western Oregon, but then we wouldn't have had some of the adventures or seen some of the wonderful places and met some interesting people along the way.
My career was less adventuresome, but there was a journey. I began working as a nurses aide in my teens, then I was an RN for several years. While our children were still young I wanted to go back to school to become a Family Practice physician assistant. My husband and children supported me in that decision. It was difficult because we changed from living on two incomes to living on one income, and my time and efforts were consumed by the rigorous education and training. As with other parts of my life's journey, it was part of destiny. I initially was uncertain of where I wanted to work as a PA, but I quickly learned that rural medicine was my calling. That is what I do and what I love doing. Caring for families who have chosen a rural lifestyle suits me and I truly see it as a calling rather than a job. I feel blessed to do that kind of work.
My interest in a variety of arts and crafts is another part of my journey. I find such joy in many different arts and crafts that I am not expert in any of them. Learning as much as I can about a particular art or craft when I'm feeling inspired to do so is fun, and then having the courage to try something new is great. The only down side has been the cost of starting so many different interests, but that has been worth it. If I feel like painting and I have the time, I paint. If I feel like building something and I have the time, we build it. I find it relaxing and fun. I think that finding those moments in ones journey is important.
It appears that the next part of our journey is to relocate to Southwest New Mexico where I'll be working most days each week. As far as I can predict that will be our last stop in terms of location. I'm looking forward to gardening, raising chickens, and maybe raising a hog or a steer. I like to live a simple life. I've grown to want the simplest life possible. I'm grateful for what we have. It gives me peace in this journey to have what we need and not to have a burning desire to have the biggest, the most, the best, or the fanciest. It's ok with me if other people strive for those things. They just aren't important to me because my journey is about relationships and nature, not things.
It hasn't been a freeway from one destination to another. My journey has been much more interesting than that, and I look forward to the rest of my journey.
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