I woke up this morning and there was very light dusting of snow on the ground and it was damp, cold and windy to boot.  The photo above  was not taken this morning, but it does cast a wintery spell over what I am writing here.  

It is opening day for the Mets today in NYC and the forecasters are saying that the sun may be out by afternoon and the temperature in the 50s.   The wind, however, will make it seem colder.  I am back at the Mall working on this Website and trying to stay engaged in some form of the creative process.  I am happy that Wisconsin is in the Final Four and secondarily happy that UCONN is there also.  However, if it comes down to Wisconsin vs UCONN for the NCAA Men's Basketball Title, I will root for my alma mater, Wisconsin.  I plan to travel to Georgia next week to spend a couple of days with my son, Brant, and his family, followed by a week long sojourn at St. Simons, Island in Georgia.  The potential of spending  some time with family, friends, and my camera in a warmer climate does offer some solace on this crazy winter day in Connecticut.  I warn anyone who reads this that more photos will be added to the Travel Page of this site in the near future.

I also am in the process of extending my trip to Ireland this summer to include a visit to an ancestral village in Northern Ireland and a tour of the Scottish Highlands.  I have not booked the extension yet, but I have finally narrowed down the sequence of how I want to accomplish the goal of seeing Ireland and a part of the British Isles for the first time.  At my age, I want to take advantage as much as I can of seeing what I can see on my International excursions.  My eleven day trip with UW Alumni group may become an nineteen day trip when all is said and done.  

The agenda of traveling several times during the year is working well for me.  Planning one International trip a year appears to be satisfying my global exploration needs and the trips in country are great,  because they always involve family and friends.   I am struggling with the cold in winter and I am not sure how to confront those issues that impact my aging bones.  Should I sell my house and move to a warmer climate?  Charleston would be an obvious candidate for such a relocation.  Or, should I just stay here and figure out a way to spend some time during the cold months in warmer climates?  Currently, the latter makes more sense to me, but time will tell.  I have a commitment to the Board of Education in my local community for another three years and I have to filter that fact into my traveling and relocation plans.  

And so, on this icy morning in Connecticut on the last day of March, I have the hopefulness of planning future adventures.  Although my excitement may be subdued in this blogging effort, my resolve is secure.

A Reflective Thought:  Spring 2014

The first day of spring; damp,foggy, and still too cold.  A trip to Charleston, recently completed, has saved me from the doldrums of this awful winter.  Family, warmer weather, walking, biking, and golfing have therapeutic value.  I am home two weeks, looking toward April, and a visit to Brant and my granddaughters, and some more down time in St. Simons.  

There are some Physical issues that cause me concern, but my pervasive medical team (Way too many doctors) assures me not to worry too much.  Take the medications, wear the socks, and get a life.  Getting older Is not for wimps.

Except for the Board of Ed,I have retired from my educational vocation of 47 years.  The Board takes some time, but not enough to fill my days.Three years of living alone has taught me to be independent, but I miss the person, who listened, advised,and understood. She is gone now, but lives in my memory. I miss her warmth, her friendship, and her counsel.  An abundance of time without pressure is welcome at this stage of life’s journey, but there are lonely times like this, when I am sitting in the Mall struggling to find meaning in my creative attempts: a little writing, photography, experimenting with blogs and websites, and thinking“profound thoughts.”  My friend Dan constantly asks the question for him and for me, “What is our purpose?”  I struggle daily to find the answer to that existential question and to clarify what may lie ahead for me.

John Denver sang,“Somedays are Diamonds, Somedays are Stone.”  Perhaps that is what this later stage of life is all about. The diamonds are In the relationships of family, friends, colleagues, and a personal satisfaction with creative efforts. The stones are the times of worry, boredom, and those times when loneliness is more of a curse than a blessing. My dear late wife knew how to use quiet times to paint, to meditate, and record serious thoughts. I try to emulate her strength, but sometimes falter. 

And so I have laid the landscape of my dilemma.  I have people who can support my way along the path of later life discovery.  I am fortunate for that gift, but I need to do a better job of graciously accepting what is offered, but more importantly take the initiative to give back.  I do not do that easily, and so it is a struggle on this first day of Spring, 2014, at the spry age of 71, with a life of fulfilling adventures in the past, but an insecurity about what is left for me to do.