tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81880869143643868822024-03-13T13:56:35.711-04:00Girlz Chatt . . . yes, they do.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630089801769926121noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188086914364386882.post-77991913106624111562015-05-31T21:14:00.000-04:002015-05-31T23:12:13.111-04:00The Bankers of Shackleford Island<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have a very unique bucket list. And I'm serious about it. My goal is to check every item off…well…before I kick the bucket. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Which brings me to today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today I was able to check one more item off my list. And I swear, it's better than anything I've experienced so far, including climbing Croag Patrick in Ireland. I'm still smiling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This bucket list item was to photograph the wild ponies of Shackleford Island in North Carolina. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Exactly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here's the story. As the legend goes, in the 1500's, a Spanish settlement was attempted on the coast of North Carolina, with very few survivors. As ships continued to come this direction, they would either run aground, or land on the outer bank islands. Once here, the ships would abandon their livestock - including horses. This continued for decades, with horses being cast overboard or released from Spanish ships, for whatever reason. Today, hundreds of years later, the descendents of these early equestrine pioneers roam the banks of Shackleford Island, as free as their ancestors. They are lovingly referred to by the locals as "Bankers".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is a ton of historical references about these ponies - and I encourage you to research - but for now, for the sake of time and this blog, I'm going to focus on my up-close experience with these amazing animals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My day started on an early ferry ride out to Shackleford Island from the quaint little town of Beaufort, North Carolina. The island is part of the National Park Service of North Carolina, and home to about 100 wild ponies. As our boat came closer to the island, I took note of the landscape. Typical island - not a lot of trees, hilly, lots of sand. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And not a pony in sight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My time was limited, so a strategy was necessary. I decided to head to the highest hill. Should be easy to spot a pony from a high vantage point, right? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hiking through the marshy sand, working my way up toward the hills, I found myself asking, "Where would I go if I were a horse?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that's when I saw it. I had wondered off into a shady grove. (if I were a horse I'd want shade, right?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A horse grave. Of sorts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had almost </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">tripped over the skeletal remains of a horse. Not quite the encounter I imaged. But it certainly was a reality check. Horses live here…so they have to die here. Right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I continued on to what I saw as the highest point of the island. The sun was relentless and the humidity was not something I was used to, but I was determined. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And just when the heat was getting to me and I was wondering if there were really any horses on this island, there they were.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I saw them first from a distance. There were about 6 ponies eating in a small valley about 50 feet away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I dropped my pack, grabbed my camera, and moved forward slowly, so as not to spook. These were wild ponies, after all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I moved closer ….slowly stepping, snapping pictures, afraid they would bolt any minute. Soon, I was less than 15 feet away. And they were unfazed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They raised their heads a few times, to check me out, but they seemed unconcerned about me as I moved closer. And then, an amazing thing happened. They started walking toward me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I stood still, snapping pictures as they silently moved closer and closer. I was so caught up in taking pictures, that when I finally looked up from the camera, I couldn't believe what I saw.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Two of the horses were running toward me. Really running. Straight toward me at a full gallop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I had to make a quick decision. Do I move? Or do I stand my ground and not move? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I stood my ground. And raised my camera. And that's when these shots were taken. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was the most thrilling, scary moment I've ever experienced. I loved it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Later, on the ferry ride back to Beaufort, I told our captain about that experience. He smiled at me and shook his head. "Why do you think they were charging you?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"I have no idea. I was just standing there taking pictures."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Girl, they could have run you over. It's happened. You are lucky. Or blessed. Those ponies have attacked people."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I smiled. He shook his head.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Standing my ground now has a whole new meaning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was an experience I will never forget, which is what a bucket list item should be. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630089801769926121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188086914364386882.post-19336500191123940412014-01-01T11:04:00.002-05:002018-12-30T08:28:12.265-05:00My advice to me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For reasons unknown to me, I find myself giving a lot of solicited advice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Amazingly, I seem to have all the right answers to every one else's issues. I'm able to clearly see the answers to their problems and succinctly communicate what they should do to fix it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the meantime, my own life has more dips and hairpin turns than a muddy motocross track. And I find myself having too many regrets for poorly made choices that seemed like a good idea at the time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So I decided, that instead of the proverbial "New Year's Resolutions" that inevitably get tossed aside after 72 hours or less, I would instead do what I seem to do best, and give advice to myself for the coming year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here's my advice to me for 2014. I sure hope I take it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dear me, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- <i>Theres a reason the rearview mirror in the car is so small. It's for glancing at occasionally, and only when necessary. The windshield is larger because you are supposed to be looking ahead of you. Take a lesson from your car. Stop looking at what’s behind you so much.</i></span><i><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- There were a few absurdities and blunders this past year, yes there were. Don’t dwell on what you can’t change. Learn from it…laugh at yourself and then move on.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">- You’re a writer, so write.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- You have a wonderful, crazy, colorful family. But they won’t be here forever, they are only on loan. So reach out more. Invest. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Your friends have lost moms, dads and spouses this year. You know what each of those losses feels like. Don’t waste your experience. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- You are an optimist. Don’t let the cynics of the world change that. It’s one of the things I love most about you.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Your sister is right. You tend to over-think everything. While some people and subjects are worth extra thought, most aren’t. So stop it. You’ll give yourself a headache. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Laugh more, especially at yourself. Other people already are anyway – so freak them out and join in.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Dance more. Alone or with someone. With wine in hand, music blaring, in comfy pj’s. Dance away girl.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Open yourself up to different. Different can be good.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Stop dwelling on lost friends. Some of them needed losing. And if they loved you they wouldn't have left anyway. You've got friends aplenty. </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Don’t own another’s emotions. You’ve enough of your own to manage.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Stop texting and emailing. If he wanted you, he would be there. </span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- See that thing in front of you that you keep saying you’re gonna do? Get up and do it.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- So you’ve been rejected. Who hasn’t? Michael Jordon was cut from his high school basketball team and look at how that turned out.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">- You have two guitars, a ukulele, a drum and a piano. Make music for goodness sake. </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"> - Feed your soul more and your body less, and you'll lose those 20 pounds you want to lose.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Start every day with this question: How can I make this day count? Then do it.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Plan a trip to someplace you’ve never been. And then go. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Anger serves nothing. Neither does fear. Don’t give either one of these a moment of your energy.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Pray every day. Especially for those who don’t ask for it. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Your legs work just fine. So get moving. </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Stop waiting for someone to bring you flowers. Plant your own garden.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Don’t let someone with the significance of a speed bump become a roadblock in your life.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- We are born in one day. We can die in one day. We can change in one day. We can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day. So pay attention every day.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Be careful who you make memories with. Those things can last a lifetime. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">- Not everyone will like you. But not everyone matters. </span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">- You moved to the mountains girl, so start climbing!</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630089801769926121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188086914364386882.post-90872831469221685732013-10-28T12:03:00.000-04:002015-06-17T22:23:22.992-04:00Four years later<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">“</b><i>You’ll blossom.</i>” He smiled at me. <br />
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I thought it an odd thing to say. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4BB6bBSK-dA/Um77j16Fl9I/AAAAAAAAByk/MkQ3198oZC0/s1600/mail.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4BB6bBSK-dA/Um77j16Fl9I/AAAAAAAAByk/MkQ3198oZC0/s1600/mail.jpeg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He had just learned he had less than a month to live, and he was concerned about putting me at ease. It was so like him. <br />
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The next month was a blur, and memory being a fickle thing, I can only recall those things I recall. Why is that? Why can’t we remember everything? Why do we only remember bits and pieces of moments and words?<br />
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I posted the truth on the blog, as I had been doing for the past year since his surgery. The followers counted on my honest truth. I didn't pull any punches. “<i>Don’t come to me at the funeral and tell me what a wonderful man Bob was. Tell him now. Those are his words to hear</i>.”<br />
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And so they did. They drove, flew, wrote, called…we had a white board with a schedule of visitors. It was more than I dared hope. It was exhausting and energizing all at the same time. <br />
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I can’t tell you how many times I heard “<i>I came to encourage him, but somehow he encouraged me</i>.” </span><br />
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Character is revealed in the worst of times. Truly. Want to know who you really are? Then deal with a disease. Deal with a deadly diagnosis. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iMZ2zcgsRgU/Um776loN9RI/AAAAAAAABys/CdfJBX9zW2o/s1600/bob_and_steph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iMZ2zcgsRgU/Um776loN9RI/AAAAAAAABys/CdfJBX9zW2o/s200/bob_and_steph.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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He took control of the only thing he had the ability to control – his departure. He planned the funeral, down to each song. He politely asked the choir if any were able he would appreciate them being there to sing. Over 150 choir members came to sing him home. He went with me to select the casket and the thank you notes. I remember him pointing to the oak casket and asking me if I liked it. How do you answer such a question?<br />
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I later found a note he wrote. “<i>I’m giddy at the thought of meeting God.</i>” His faith was unshakable. Even as the ground beneath his feet shifted, he stood strong.<br />
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Sam said it best as he stood in full military dress at the funeral. His father lay in similar dress, quiet and still just a few feet away. <br />
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“<i>My father taught me how to live….and he showed me how to die</i>.”<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that was his legacy. IS his legacy. That he loved others more than he loved himself, enough to teach a final lesson, when he had absolutely nothing to gain.<br />
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“You’ll blossom.”<br />
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Those words echo in my mind. You’ll be okay, he meant. More than okay. “You will blossom.” <br />
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His final gift to me. <br />
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I’m trying, Bob. I’m trying. <br />
<b><i></i></b></span><br />
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630089801769926121noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8188086914364386882.post-62772653746437785892012-07-31T20:52:00.005-04:002015-01-31T12:54:38.448-05:00Happily Ever After....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LDcX7CC4Yv0/UcmtvEBQIvI/AAAAAAAAAxg/aJqFebwixeo/s1600/funny-prince-charming-quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LDcX7CC4Yv0/UcmtvEBQIvI/AAAAAAAAAxg/aJqFebwixeo/s200/funny-prince-charming-quote.jpg" height="170" width="200" xya="true" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks to fairytales and </span><a href="http://disney.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Disney</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> movies, Little girls know with absolute certainty that the Prince will always come to the rescue of the Princess at the end of the story. Or, at least every fairytale we’ve ever gone to bed hearing told us that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So for years we laid our impressionable little heads on pillows, and drifted off into stress-free slumber with visions of perfect endings. Just the stuff dreams are made of. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this is the point where we owe every man alive an apology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s no wonder men never live up to our warped expectations. It’s not that our princes are inadequate. It’s that our expectations are not realistic. We expect them to save us from lonely towers, poison apples, wicked stepmothers, fire breathing dragons and really mean bosses. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And</i> we expect them to get that work done in short order on a daily basis while they are facing their own dragons. We expect them to deliver “happily ever after.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We expect a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Little boys, on the other hand, are also given over to delusions of grandeur. They are told that by pinning a towel around their shoulders, they become a superhero who can fly. For little boys, an old tree branch becomes a deadly sword to fight off evil aliens from invading the world. And a stick becomes a gun to shoot the bad man and save everyone from danger. Every little boy is a hero in his own eyes, because that is what he is told he can and should be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this is where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they</i> owe women everywhere an apology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because little girls believed little boys. We believed they could fly. We believed those swords would save us from the world and from ourselves. They should have told us the truth the moment they realized they couldn’t leap tall buildings in a single bound.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, does the stuff of fairytales really exist? Are there knights in shining armor just looking for a damsel to rescue? Is there a “happily ever after?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spent the day asking both men and women if they believed “happily ever after” really exists. The answers were pretty predictable. Many women said no, and were adamant about it. A few said yes, but they agreed you have to work for it. I never did get a straight answer from the men. One said, “I don’t understand the question.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the most profound answer came from the mouth of my own little girl. The daughter I had read bedtime fairytales to. All grown-up now, she put into words what many had not been able to do;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Of course it exists.”</i> (this with a mouth full of spaghetti as we shared dinner together)…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The fact is, everyone is responsible for their own happy. We all have the ability to experience “happily ever after” on a daily basis</i>.“ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She’s absolutely right. The truth is, “happily ever after” does exist. But it has nothing to do with being rescued by a handsome prince. (although that wouldn’t hurt). It doesn’t hinge on a relationship. It has everything to do with finding our own happy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here’s my advice on how to experience your “happily ever after.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, to the gals: Take note. Little boys do not grow up to become perfectly built, impeccably groomed, handsome men whose only job is to protect us. They come in all shapes and sizes with all levels of intelligence, and actually have jobs that have nothing to do with fighting dragons. Most <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will</i> rescue the person they love if given the chance. They <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will</i> slay dragons for you. The challenge is you have to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">communicate</i> that you need them to do that. And we aren’t very good at that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To the guys: Women are not Barbie dolls with legs that never end and flawless makeup. Barbie looked good but her head was empty. Ours are not. We are smart. So put your swords away, we don’t need rescuing. Well….maybe we do a little. But what we really need is to feel cherished above everything else in your life. Especially whatever it is that is taking up most of your time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All this aside, I refuse to believe that fairy tales are all fantasy. Call me delusional, but there’s a small part of me that still believes – hopes – for that fairytale experience. For that “happily ever after” ending. And I’ll bet that every girl reading this feels the same way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’d bet my tiara on it. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630089801769926121noreply@blogger.com4