Happenings

There are two kinds of happenings in life......the ones that just happen without human intervention, and the others that we ourselves make happen. 

Last evening we three took a drive, with a couple of things in mind.  First one was trout fishing, and the second was to replace my jewelry pliers.  My husband fished, while I sat in the vehicle working on bracelets to sell at a craft show coming up in October. 

By the time hubby got skunked by the fishies, I had come up with a scheme to make something happen....our annual trek to a lonely apple tree that grows on public ground, to see if the apples were ripe enough to pick.  My paternal genes crave tart apples (the kind that make you pucker), and the branches of this tree usually hang to the ground with tart apples that no one picks.  These round gems simply fall to the ground and mulch themselves back into the earth.  We don't pick enough to actually use in pies or for freezing, but enough to satisfy my tart taste buds.

It's funny how a person has to modify our habits as we age.  Man, I used to be able to chomp down on an apple with no thought of breaking a tooth.  Well, I can call that history.  I asked my hubby if I could use his pocket knife to slice small pieces from the four apples that I ate right off the bat.  It doesn't bother me to use a knife, it only makes sense when I must find ways of coping with one of Mother Nature's happenings.

I'm of the belief that we ourselves are responsible for making things happen.  It's so wrong to wait for someone else to fulfill our desires.  The best way to get what we want is to go out there and get it.  I think there's a misconception that we're here to be catered to by others, as though life is one big dining experience.  If our desires are within reason, hey, make them happen.  There is not one of us who needs the burden of tippy-toeing around someone else's neediness.

There was a day when I thought that everything nice and fluffy would simply fall upon me, and sweep me off into the sky where I could flit and flounce at my whim.  Well, then I grew up and at some point it dawned on me that, hey, this is my life and if I want something, I'd better stop whimpering like a puppy, kick myself in the caboose, and make it happen myself.  I absolutely, positively, wholeheartedly refuse to die with a regret in my back pocket.

Some things take great effort on our part to make happen.  If we want to travel somewhere, well, that takes planning and preparation.  Plus, it takes money that needs to be saved up in order to go.  But, it's immensely satisfying to accomplish things on our own, without causing hardship for anyone else. 

Retirement is gifting us with a cherished companionship to make simple things happen together.  If we want to pick apples from a tree, then we'll go and pick them.  If we want to go trout fishing, we'll go.  Sometimes when we're on one of day-long jaunts, we mosey to a park and take a car-nap.  Car-naps are great fun.  We lay the seats back and snooze.  We make these sorts of little things happen, because they bring us good old-fashioned peace and joy.  We've paid our dues, we've done our time, and now we're on what we call playful parole. 

I used to be a little skittish about trying new things, because I was afraid of failure.  Looking back, I see now just how ungodly silly that was.  Who cares if we screw something up, it's the fun of trying to make something happen that counts.  There's more moxy in us than we realize, and the best thing we can do is dig deep in our well of talents and make some really good things happen. 

"It's not what's happening to you now or what has happened in your past that determines who you become.  Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny."  -Anthony Robbins

May this day be just as beautiful as you.............ta-ta.