A REMINDER IN CASE YOU NEED ONE
Bev and I took advantage of no rain in Olympia and took the dogs down to the waterfront/boardwalk this morning. The temp was in the fifties, no wind to speak of, really an excellent morning for mid-October.
This may sound strange, since I’ve lived in Olympia for the better part of thirty-two years, but I was mildly surprised by the beauty of that area, the combination of Budd Inlet, Capitol Lake, the marina, the green hills rising on the east and west, the Olympic Mountains in the distance, and the lovely effort the city has made to keep the area looking attractive, clean, and welcoming.
Please refer to the part of this section where I said I have lived in Olympia for over thirty years. It’s probably been at least five years since I’ve walked along that boardwalk. Most likely too busy, you know? Too wrapped up in terribly important matters. There were, best estimate, dozens of episodes of The Voice to watch, the occasional sporting event, and I’m sure I squeezed in a few episodes of the Great British Bake-Off. I of course needed to tend to the garden, the berries needed pruning, some painting was required, and, well, I think you get the picture.
Today I am attempting to change all of that. I am attempting to live an intentional life, a life that pleases me, a life which makes room for growth, for stimulations, and for personal satisfaction. And walking that boardwalk, today, felt like it fit into my new life perfectly.
My buddy Jim, whose driveway I park in when I’m in Olympia, asked me today what my plans are for the next few weeks. I explained that I needed to go to Ocean Shores to finish up some chores there, then back to Olympia for a few days, then off to Eastern Washington and drier weather.
“How long will you be gone?” he asked. “Where are you going in Eastern Washington?” “Are you going to visit anyone over there?”
All valid questions, but my answer for each of them was a simple “I don’t know.” And I don’t. And I don’t want to know. I want to travel freely without a plan and absorb all of the do-nothing time of passion and stimulation and learning and growth that I can.
MY MISSION STATEMENT
I’ve been writing about mission statements lately for some company websites; it’s a topic I’m familiar with, having degrees in Marketing and Economics, and having owned a couple businesses . . . but it is also a topic which is crucial to my lifestyle today, and the concept of living intentionally.
For a person to live intentionally, one must first know what one’s values are, because those values are your mission statement as you build a deliberate life. What is truly important to you? Is it family? Is it your job? Or is it something a bit more philosophical, like mine, to live out my passions, to live life to the fullest, and to live a life I can be proud of?
My core values are what dictate my actions during any given day, and I literally plan out the specifics of my day based on those values . . . I repeat them to myself when I am meditating, and I meditate when I’m out walking Maggie. No random walking for this boy; I get down to the nitty gritty, remind myself what makes me happy, and plan my activities based on my goals for the day.
Now, some might say that’s easy for me to do; after all, I’m retired, living in a bus, with no particular demands on my time and no heavy responsibilities. But I have reached this point because I started this process seventeen years ago, when I got sober for the last time. At that time, in order to save my own life, I complete overhauled the way I approach life. I simplified. I learned to meditate. I approached life with new eyes and a new dedication to living life to the fullest without alcohol.
So, I’ve had seventeen years to get to the point where living according to a mission statement is much easier for me than someone just starting out. Living in a shuttle bus perfectly aligns with my mission statement. Meeting new people and being friendly to them perfectly aligns. Spreading some love and goodwill perfectly aligns. And when I am in alignment with my mission statement, I am calmer, at peace, and happy.
How about you? What are your values? What is your mission statement? What do you want your life to look like in, say, five years? Ten?
MAKING A SANDWICH FOR A NEW FRIEND
Maggie and me, Maggie and I, sorry Sister Elizabeth, I’m sure I just butchered the language there, but you get the point, we had just exited Puddle Walker, maybe thirty feet away, heading down to the beach, a light rain falling, not much wind, high Fifties, and out of the dunes came a young woman, probably in her twenties, carrying a tent and a worn backpack, drenched from head to toe, looking about as miserable as a human can look and not have a toe tag.
She dropped her backpack, leaned over the pick it up, dropped the tent, voiced an expletive, looked up, looked embarrassed, “oh hi,” she mumbled, tried for a smile, failed, and finally gathered up her belongings and started to head off.
“My dog’s name is Maggie. She’ll be insulted if you don’t pet her,” I said, pretty cheesy line but hey, it’s the best I could do at the time.
That earned a real smile as the young lady walked over to us, put her tent and backpack down, bent over and pet my dog.
“Tough night to be camping the dunes,” I offered.
“They don’t like people without a permanent address in this town, so it was my only option. Just for one night, though. I’ve got a friend, in Aberdeen, says I can crash at her place once I hitch there this morning.”
“Why don’t you warm up in the bus while I fix you a sandwich,” and to my surprise, she took me up on my offer, just like that, no questions asked, mighty risky on her part, I thought, the protective father in me coming out, but I said nothing, fixed her the food, turned on the propane heater, and let her eat in peace, surrounded by warmth.
“This your idea of an RV?”
“It’s my idea of a home,” and she thought that was pretty cool.
I gave Marie (her name, offered between bites) a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup because, well, life is always better with Reese’s, she thanked me for being so nice when “you had no reason to be,” and my new friend walked out of my life after petting Maggie goodbye.
I have no doubt I will think of her often.
