I was once told that at some time in your life everyone should own a vehicle that is a convertible. I have owned one and loved it. Funny thing about convertibles in south Georgia is that it's too hot in the summer to ride with the top down. If you do dare put the top down in the 100-degree July heat, you turn on the air conditioner so that you don't melt into the upholstery. Spring and fall are the best times to ride with your top down. If you haven't owned a convertible, maybe you should put it on your list of "things you must do in life."
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that playing the guitar was one of the huge items on my "must do" list. I totally am playing the guitar now. Of course, I have just scratched the surface of guitar knowledge but I am progressing. Just so you know, playing the guitar is ubber hard. Really, it is. I know those silly people who claim they just learned to play by ear make it sound easy, but it's not easy. It's hard, it's complicated, and it has many layers. My teacher tries patiently to introduce new information to me, but mostly I just want to framm (great word to describe how I play) on the strings and pretend to be Slash from Guns and Roses. How anyone masters this stuff is still a mystery to me. Maybe I just have so much more to learn that I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. If you haven't learned to play the guitar, piano, drums, etc. maybe you should put that on your list of "things you must do in life."
During the summer I had the awesome opportunity to ride on a zip line through the Central America jungle. I wrote about this in an earlier blog. There were 11 different lines that we "zipped" from in the jungle. I have never had so much fun. The first zip was completely scary because I didn't know how to balance myself, but the others were great. I couldn't wait to get in the air to look at the jungle below me, around me, and above me! I took pictures, but I kept telling myself to try to burn the memory of the experience into my mind for safe keeping. Each zip brought its own treasures of animals, flora, and differing heights. I am so thankful for this experience and hope that I can repeat it many more times. If you haven't ever zipped through the jungle on a zip line, maybe you should put that on your list of "things you must do in life."
For one of my and my husband's milestone wedding anniversaries, we flew to New York during the Christmas holidays. I had been to New York before, but my husband had not. I knew that the trip would be a wonderful opportunity to watch his face as he saw the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Times Square. I was not disappointed. He was impressed by the non-stop activity, the lights, and the multitude of people in NYC. He was not impressed with the food and while I stopped at the Starbucks on every block, he stopped at McDonald's. He claimed that only McDonald's has sweet tea in NYC! He loved the subway and soon had the entire city mapped out in his head. His favorite trip was to the Bronx to see BOTH Yankee stadiums side-by-side. I was a little scared in the Bronx, he loved it. The splurge of the trip was that we stayed in an amazing hotel in Times Square. We had to pay top price for the room, but we were treated like royalty with champagne and food sent to our "anniversary" suite. If you have never visited New York City during the Christmas holidays and splurged on a fabulous hotel, maybe you should put that on your list of "things you must do in life."
I love flowers. Every kind of flowers. Not cut flowers -- that seems like such a waste. I love planted flowers, particularly flowers that bloom for an entire season. I have planted lots of flowers every where we have ever lived. Seeing those flowers bloom, makes me so happy. I believe it's quite a miracle that you plant a tiny hard seed in the ground and it comes out as a beautiful flower. I particularly like to take "cuttings" from a mature plant and produce lots of new plants. The best plant to start from cuttings is weeping willow trees. Just cut about a 12 inch piece of the weeping limb, strip the leaves, and stick it in good soil. In about two weeks tiny little green leaves appear on the limb. Let the roots get strong for a season and then plant it in your yard. Instant weeping willow tree. It's a little like birthing a new creation. If you have never taken a cutting from a plant and created your own entirely new plant, maybe you should put that on your list of "things you must do in life."
This list will definitely continue in subsequent blogs. I would love to hear what you would suggest we add to our list of "things you must do in life."
Being an executive with the Boy Scouts has given me many amazing opportunities to experience. One that I had the honor of participating in was a flag retirement ceremony which left me speechless and tear filled eyes. Hearing the history of that particular flag that was being retired was astounding. The flag at one time flew on battle grounds during World War II and was then given to a widow of a soldier who had lost his life while fighting for freedom. The flag was tattered and torn but had a rich history. The Scoutmaster who was presenting the retirement of the flag asked all military men and women, serving or retired to join him around the campfire. There were approximately 250 people witnessing the retirement and approximately 10 or so servicemen who joined him to assist in the retirement. The flag was unfolded and then each serviceman cut a stripe of the flag and then the stars cut individually. Once the stripes were cut they were then cut into small squares. Each person at the campfire was given a piece of the flag and asked to form a line in front of the fire and retire the piece into the fire. As each person took a moment to honor each serviceman with a salute hugs and tears were on many faces. In a time of war we were able to witness a part of history that many other countries aren't able to do. I will never forget the feeling that flag retirement left me. All I kept thinking was "Its great to be an American."
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