Toss your troubles to the wind...

February 25, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

In an email this morning, Friend Linda said: Hope you have another good day to ride Vickie, just toss your troubles to the wind and enjoy it.. might as well.

I think Linda may be a biker in disguise...

I've never been one to ignore good advice, so about mid-morning I pushed away from the desk, walked out back where Tim was digging a post hole for fence repairs and simply looked at the sky and shot him a grin. We haven't been married 37 years and counting for nothing - he knew immediately what was on my mind and being the spontaneous kind of guy that he is - well, shortly after, The Ride took us out of here.

True, our lives just got a bit more challenging. We will soon join the vast ranks of the unemployed as Tim's job just evaporated before our eyes. (For the Record: It is on the way to China.) We will be moving soon to who knows where for a job if we can find one. We have much work to do to get organized for that move and pennies to count to make it happen.

Friend Nancy has a tag-line on her email that says: If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

Yes, if any of us look beyond the end of our nose, we soon realize there are plenty of folk out there in dire straights. People in real trouble. People losing houses and cars and jobs with many mouths to feed. People who are much worse off than we are and many who think some sort of help is on the way... and so, they are doing nothing. They are waiting.

Of course, knowing there are others who are worse off, doesn't lighten our own burden. We do not consider ourselves as unfortunate as some, or maybe we prefer not to dwell on it. Being kind of pull ourselves up by our boot straps people, we are not expecting help from imaginary benefactors with fountains of wealth... nor are we expecting a hand-out. We do not believe we are entitled to anything more than the opportunity to move on and start again. We do not need anyone to dictate or otherwise legislate that opportunity. So... while times are tough, you will not hear us complaining overmuch. We have lost jobs before. We have moved under duress before. We have down-sized before. We can do it again.

We have the support of family and friends. We have each other. Some how we will muddle through. We always do.

There is one big difference these days. For several years now, it has been just us two. Now we are three. Tim, the Harley and Me. Whatever trials lay before us, as long as we can keep it a threesome - I'm going to believe everything else will be OK.

I keep the following quote on a bulletin board over my desk: George Bernard Shaw said, People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.