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| The Chickens and I had a nice talk in October! THE GIRLS!! So, there've been a lot of goings on in the last few months. What with the attempts at identity theft, bad behavior, burglaries, shootings, nasty weather, mild weather, birds, whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, otters, mooses, Valentine's Day, Alaska, Salem, Boston, The Grammy Awards, #SNL40 celebrations, Discovery Channel here in town, Huffington Post posts, etc. |
A lot. LOT LOT.
But one thing remains. My friends and family and the concept of having a sense of place.
Home. Really a HOME and not just a place that you lay your head.
It's warm, it's inviting, it's filled with good will and trust. Food and drink and comfort and caring.
And home can travel with you.
My husband and I made homes all along the way, whether it was a camp for a night or two or renting a tiny cabin in the middle of the Cassiar in British Columbia at the base of the GIANTEST Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Banff, Jasper, Canmore, Lake Louise - every human on the planet should be required to go through these places. Thunder Bay. Land's End. Homer, Seward, Hope, Cook Inlet, The Turnagain Arm Fjord, Kenai Lake...And the list goes on and on and on.
After I'm done here I'm gonna hop into my little car and head over to Point Worzonoff to gaze at the magic of the Alaska Range and the Talkeetna mountains. Mt. Susitna (Sleeping Lady) rests right across the inlet.
Who DOES that? Denali will be out today along with Mt. Spurr, Mt. ReDoubt and Mt. Illiyamna.
ReDoubt is a volcano! It blew in 2009. A volcano is over there. And I'm LOOKING AT IT!
What?
Then there are the flocks and flocks of birds. Raven that have a vocabulary of 68 words.
?HUH?
It's all so mind-blowing that it hurts!
Well, again...The grounding that we need comes from our Moms and Dads. It used to be a bad thing to get grounded, right?
Well, now, I RELISH the groundings! Thank you! Please, may I have another?
When the times are tough, they're only half as tough when you have love in your life.
And When the times are good, they're TWICE AS GOOD because you have all these people that love you and care about you and want the best for you!
Those little gems were dropped on my head by my beloved Papa. He's the best. BEST!
Those parents of yours know their sh*t, to be crass for a moment!
So, listen dearheart turning 16 yesterday! Listen other dearheart who just turned 25 on Saturday:
We love love love you. Big sloppy, messy, complicated, sometimes confusing love.
That's how it works and we cannot turn it off to save our souls.
Wouldn't want it any other way.
Love completely and fully and with WILLLLLD abandon. It's the only way to the truth.
And, as the old cliche says "The truth shall set you free."
Be free, young chicken!
Free as a little bird riding the wind.
Never stop to wonder at the marvel of a feather or a butterfly or a tiny tiny spider that makes his living by weaving a complicated, beautiful web.
There is a web and it's not the internet; it's every one and every thing.
Kindness and love always overcome the bad. Because that's just how it is. Karma. It's real.
It's never ever ever wrong to get yourself hurt or in sometimes sticky situations. That's how we learn and grow.
And then, just move on.
Grieving is necessary and it's deeply personal. Your gut will tell you when it's time to move on.
And last, but certainly not least:
EVERYONE's got baggage. It's just how you carry it.
Carry on and be kind!
And Happy Birthday!
Ciao for now.
