Truly Grand

Mere words are not adequate to describe The Grand Canyon.

Or the feelings flowing through me as I stood on the edge 

contemplating why it took me this long to be in a place

that I have always dreamed of seeing with my own eyes. 

If you know me, you know I love to be by the water, 

in particular, 

the sea, with waves, where every day, it is different

It is a good question. I love being near the water. 

I also loved sitting by the canyon all day long. 

Observing the subtle changes until the sun set. 

As I gazed out into the vastness, a voice nearby

in utter amazement exclaimed

It is different every day, 

Every day you notice something different

and it doesn't look the same each day.

I have uttered those exact words

many times in regards to the

beaches of Padre Island

There is water in the canyon, 

and just like J. W. Powell

I long to raft down the Colorado River

Sleep on the banks

Cook over an open flame

 enjoy the simplicity of the river 

and the complexity of the canyon.

A true dream that came true. 

It was the first trip I remember 

(apparently I was there as a child) 

to the Canyon, but not the last

I will hike 

I will ride donkeys

I will raft the river

even if only in my dreams. 

Watch Out

Once upon a time I wore a watch

A simple watch with easy to read numbers

A comfy two tone watch 

to wear with gold or silver jewelry

Shortly after my last husband 

(yes he is and will remain my last husband)

and I married,

 I became a teacher

It seemed a good time to replace my watch

with one very similar 

so students could see 

and read the time on it as well

The day we divorced

I took it off and laid it down

and didn't pick it up again

until last month

Last month while going through everything I own

 I found it in a drawer

A smile appeared 

as fond memories surfaced

 a trip to the jeweler ensued

A battery and new crystal later

 it is on my wrist 

wherever I go

May not seem like much 

but it is a huge paradigm shift

I don't know if I associated the watch

 with the loss of my married life

and best friend

This much I do know

 when an experience is soured for me

any representation of it is soured as well

Clothes worn when something negative has happened

rarely worn again

I no longer geocache regularly even though I love it

Gone are the days of collecting quarters 

sorting them by state and mint and organizing them

in fact I cashed them in at the bank

 except for the sets from the mint

and I really enjoyed that hobby

There are others but really these are the ones that stand out 

in this moment

So, my watch looks great

It feels great

I forget I have it on

Like an old friend

we have taken up 

right where we left off

Perhaps I will start collecting coins while overseas

It is the little things... Musical

Way back when
when you could pull music off the Internet
before they called it something illegal
I may have
inadvertently
downloaded a few of my favorite songs
onto my Dell desktop computer
purely for the love of listening
and the desire to have a playlist for
any day....
early in the morning
or Saturdays while cooking breakfast
or when we had company

A few of my all time favorites were on that playlist
Hotel California, a live performance with extended instrumental
Yellow, an all time favorite that breeds contentment and calmness in my soul
and many more

Now my confession
I love music,
I enjoy having it on in the car
Perhaps a bit too loud for most people
but not so loud you can hear the bass a block away
(that just pisses me off)
I enjoy live music
I am enamored by those who can play
However, when you ask me what album a song is from
or perhaps even who sings it
or refer to a song by it's name
I probably can't answer or
even be sure what song you are referring to

There is so much information in the world
esp. in the last ten years,
and my brain picks and chooses what to keep in memory
and that isn't one of the things I hold onto easily
now if you name an Eagles song, I know it, and who sings it
or others I learned before the age of 21or so

anyway, back to the story

The desktop the play list was on
is still in my possession
but there have been 3 computers since then
all laptops
of course I wanted to move my music to them
but used the desktop to play it still, through good speakers
so there wasn't really a need
to "change"
until now

The newest computer is a Mac
yes, I have gone over to the dark side
as some of you would believe
and yes
I have entered the light
as some others would believe

I like it
and I am taking it to the UAE with me
so
time to burn music and make play lists
I did move the music from the desktop over
but it isn't "compatible"
and it was probably not really legal either
so yesterday
I started burning all my cd's onto the mac and
I finally ordered my first songs from I-tunes
and today
today I listened to my new favorite playlist

Yes the little things do matter
the songs brought back memories
good feelings
good thoughts
a feeling of comfort and familiarity
I will take with me
wherever I wander
to give me peace and calmness
wherever I am.

One of the greatest memories this morning
was of my sons, when they were younger
and simple days spent at home with them
One playing the trumpet
the other explaining something techy to me

sadly, I didn't find the exact same Hotel California long play,
but looking on the bright side
it will grow on me and be as good as the other one... soon.

Happy Listening my friends, to whatever music you love
keep walking to the beat of your own drummer
and dance to the beat of others.