Time to Refocus

Life has a way of diverting our attention.  One of my Dad’s favorite quotes, which he had me print for him many years ago when life tossed him a curveball reads “Life Happens When You’re Making Plans.” How true! Sometimes the curveballs aren’t too bad. Then again sometimes they can feel like a screwball, or maybe even a knuckleball.  My life has been more like a detour (thank goodness) to change the analogy from baseball back to riding. The holiday season along with other pressing issues can divert out attention. Yet, as January starts to slip past me I’m pulling myself up by the proverbial boot straps and taking a look ahead.  And despite Dad’s printed quote I’m making plans.

            This year is especially important to me. I feel I need to do all I’ve ever wanted to do before time runs out. You see, this year I face a milestone birthday. Sometimes I think it doesn’t bother me. I announce it to people in a way woman don’t typically divulge. Other times I look in the mirror and wonder what happened to all that lay behind me.  I recall what a girlfriend said to me 10 years ago at another milestone birthday. The day AFTER my birthday, she put her hand over her open mouth in mock shock, eyes wide open. Then she declared that I didn’t look any different than yesterday. There’s a pretty good lesson there. I won’t magically transform on my birthday.

            While I don’t think one day to the next makes much difference, the accumulation of days might. So this year, if life doesn’t happen while I’m making plans, I’ll be heading to Daytona Bike Week. It’s been on my list.  Things are serendipitously happening. There’s chatter in the background. Family will be in Orlando, and room is being offered so we have a place to stay.  Keeping the driveway clear of snow and ice, the trailer ready, the van in running order are all part of the plan. God willing, I will finally add Daytona Bike Week to my list of Motorcycle Rallies I’ve had the pleasure of attending. Will I be different when I get back? For sure! While there, the milestone will happen. Yet it’s not the milestone birthday that will change me. What change each one of us are the experiences of our lives. Our experiences are unique to each of us and what matters is the depth of our inquiry into what we make of what happens to us. So instead of feeling old or older, I will think of myself as a beautiful quilt. On that quilt are scraps of fabric that represents all the accumulated experiences of my life. A beautiful  and colorful quilt it is too.