Making Memories and Sharing Them

In my job as a massage therapist, I hear everyone's stories.  I hear about their adventures, their hopes and dreams, their fears and limitations, and their regrets. So often they come with an injury, desperate to get better, so they can get back to the activity they love, usually hunting or golf around here! I advise them on gear, good habits and self care; so overuse or injuries don't ruin their adventures. (Coming from the woman who badly sprained her ankle on the second day in Florida and had to rent a scooter to take on Disney World!) When it comes to regrets, the only things people regret, are the things they didn't do.

I also see the things I want to avoid. We live in such a beautiful place, that many of us shun the city (I'm one of them). However, I don't want to get so comfortable in my cozy world, that I start to fear driving in the city. I've seen it happen, over and over. So I make myself drive in the city periodically. Many people have told me that they wouldn't eat in a restaurant by themselves. I don't want to be that person. 

When I think of the women in my life that I admire, there is a common thread. They live their lives to the fullest. The Grandma who kayaks and coaches her grandson's sports teams. The friend who got her motorcycle license for her 6oth birthday. My boss, who hikes, camps and rides in the mountains every chance she gets. The friend who routinely heads out on solo road trips with no agenda, and encourages me to do the same. The client who drove to Ontario in her Mustang, mostly with the top down! Not a single one of these women are under 50. When these women tell me their stories, I think, "I want to do things like that!" 

My own Grandmother, on my Mom's side, was a woman like that. Like me, she was widowed by cancer, far too young. When she retired from teaching, that's when she got her driver's license for the first time. She travelled all over the world, by herself. I dream that one day, like Grandma, I will wake up and see the Great Pyramid of Giza outside my window (or maybe it was the Matterhorn, I was young, I don't quite remember! Something tall and pointy!) She modeled for me that there is nothing wrong with a woman being by herself, Grandma was content with her own company. She would take me for walks in the pasture by our house and show me the beauty in the rocks there. I learned that there are things to discover in your own backyard. She was the most amazing storyteller, it's the thing we all miss the most about her. Our biggest regret is that we never wrote down her stories. Maybe that's part of why I feel compelled to write down my stories. I hope that I have inherited a fraction of her talent. 

What is this blog, if not a journal and scrapbook of my experiences. It's a way to reflect on my experiences, to share them with my family and friends and perhaps to inspire. I want to inspire my sons, my nieces, my nephew and the other young people in my life to get out an do things. To find their passions. To follow their dreams. Whatever they may be. Many, many, many years from now, when I'm a Grandma, I want my grandchildren to say they have the "coolest Grandma ever!"

Found this beautiful sketchbook at the dollar store, perfect little scrapbook

I'm, by no means, an artist. But sometimes, you gotta sketch

Notice I found a place for star stickers!