Musings for the day...

To start off, 11 things I'm grateful for....

1. Everything I was grateful for yesterday.
2. Warm clothing.
3. Kraig (kraig@lighthousefriends.com).  Whoever this person is, they've put together a beautiful web site showing lighthouses by state.  It has been a HUGE help.
4. The open road.  Nothing better than driving when there's nobody behind you and nobody in front of you.
5. Friendly people that greet you at the counter.
6. Pandora.  And people like JG that inspire me to create cool movie-soundtrack stations.
7. Living somewhere that has four seasons-- and every once in a while -- even gets some snow.
8. Not having any significant money worries.
9. Knowing so many smart, fun, supportive people.
10. Fond memories.

As I was thinking about my "gratefuls" for the day, I focused on that last one.  Fond memories.  Anticipation of fun events is certainly a wonderful thing-- it helps "stretch" the event (e.g. a week long vacation is more like 2 weeks when you include the anticipation factor).  But the nice think about fond memories -- is that they're guaranteed.  You don't have to hope you're going to have fun -- you know you did!  I could spend a long time thinking and remembering fun things... here are a few that popped into my mind, though:

• riding the 4x4 in the "pit of despair"
• taking "the elevator from hell, going down" with PP in the AA garage after the GMATs
• grabbing my 1st train insulators on ML's shoulders
• hearing TR tell the story about running out of her shoes when hearing the wildabeast
• sailing to Putin Bay
• KF leaving his party for a VERY long time, and finally returning with the largest bottle of Crown Royal you've ever seen
• watching the forest ranger "run" for his lunch break when seeing us approach
• pulling up JD from the side of the sailboat after he fell in (technically speaking, that only became a fond memory AFTER he started laughing)
• seeing the crowd on Manitou island haul our cooler off the boat
• watching TR laugh after that one glass of wine at the bar in Plymouth (a defining moment for our relationship, btw)
• discussions on the Rasti's
• basketball vigilante justice
• the unquenchable camp fire while camping in the thumb with SB (went by there today, as a matter of fact)

... and many, many more.  Having a memory like mine, I sometimes fear they're "slipping away".  Which relates slightly to two more of my musings.

Musing 1
I believe that there are two kinds of photography (for me at least).  One is simply to make the most beautiful and interesting photographs I can.  This falls in to the "professional" category I suppose.  But the other is to document my life.  If I went to the trouble to post process all the pictures I take (or "develop" as we call it in the photography world :-) I'd be too tired to bother with photography (by the way - I've taken approximately 28,910 pictures since 1999).  Occasionally I have to remind myself that it's OK to take an average picture.  Given my memory, I'll be glad I did.

Musing 2
My memory.  My memory is lousy-- but it has always been pretty bad.  At my last annual checkup, my primary care physician asked me an interesting question.  While inquiring about my health after my bevy of medical procedures many years ago, he asked me "Are you any different?"  I had to laugh a little when he said it.  He obviously meant "is your mental and physical functioning any different now?"  Thankfully, the answer to that question is "no".  At least, that's what my wife tells me.  :-)  But there's a different question there as well:  have I become a different person? And thankfully, the answer to that question is "yes".  I would imagine that would be the case for anyone.  In fact, I think that change, that inspiration to appreciate every day, was a big motivating factor for this trip.   Sometimes I forget about the importance to appreciate every day.  I can't let that become a habit.

Ok, enough musings for the time being.  Hope everyone is having a great week.