REALITY 101 #1

 

     Watching and waiting, mesmerized by the mysterious greatness of the ocean, I thought of walking in, much like Edna in the short story by Kate Chopin called "The Awakening."  It was a day, moment which should not have been.  A mistake, a 'what if.'  

     Walking into the ocean isn't something I seriously would do; I only romanticized the idea because of a sudden tragedy which the occurrence of another would change nothing.  The headlines would read like this:  "Local women drowns after her dog is killed by a hit-and-run."  Or:  "Tragedy strikes twice for one distraught local man."  Besides, I was a little afraid of deep water, the way Edna had been before she learned to swim.  

       My reality that day was this:  my little dog was gone forever; there was no way to change or reconcile it; I had to go through it.

     It happened so fast, a moment in time, less than two minutes, resulting from the carelessness of another dog's owner...and our dog's panic; in his panic he slipped out of his collar, ran, and was killed instantly by a car.  

      As I ran to the top of the hill and toward the main road, there he lay, still, on the road's center, his beautiful white fur splayed about him, not a mark on his body.  I thought being chased by the other dog had caused him to faint.  But no, he was gone; as I picked him up, I felt no heartbeat.  Our little miracle gift pup was dead, and I had to walk home, leash in hand, and tell my husband.  

     Whenever I walk by where our dog had his last breath, I am reminded of the kindness of the other dog's owners, how they drove me to the veterinarian, paid the vet to examine my dog, and extended their apologies for what was not their fault.  There was no fault; accidents happen but kindness alone could not make up for the loss of our dog.  It is part of life.  My husband had to be told, I did not walk into the ocean, and eventually we found us another lovely dog.

      Do I believe there is a reason for everything?  No, I don't.  Sometimes things just happen because they happen. What we do with it thereafter is what matters.  Do I believe God is in everything, and doesn't waste a hurt?  Yes, I do.  "He comforts us when we are in trouble, so we can share the same comfort with others in trouble..."  (2 Corinthians 1:4-5)

      I have a friend who believes our animals will be in heaven, and we will see them again.  And why not?  God made animals for us to take care of, to love, for comfort, and it is up to me to share this same comfort with others who have lost a pet.

A MOMENT IN TIME

Everything is a moment in time, then it is gone.  And whether good or bad, the moment is logged away as a memory to be pulled out, talked about, to laugh or cry over, then stored away again.

A friend gave this sweater to me, new with tags, and trying it on, I looked in the mirror, and was taken back to a time years ago, something that made me laugh all over again.

During our first years, my husband, James, found himself looking for work, going to interviews, and learning about himself and others along the way.

One day, he was called for an interview, something very exciting because this was the 80's, a time of recession and job-scarcity.  So we decided he needed a new suit for this special occasion, and off he went to the local Sears store, where he found just the right one, brought it home, and hung it up.

Finally, it was interview day!  On went the new, gray suit and shined up shoes, and out the door to be on time and ready to impress...

After about two hours, James returned, ready to tell me about the interview so I sat down opposite him while he, standing, began telling his story in the usual way, moving around and raising his arms as he talked.  I watched while listening when suddenly I noticed something hanging from the armpit of his suit jacket, much like in the above picture.  Staring, an image came into my mind of him being interviewed, tag waving about as he answered questions, perhaps the interviewer trying not to notice, and I began to laugh, showing him the tag we forgot to snip away from the suit, price still clearly showing, and he started laughing as well.  It was a great and memorable moment in time, one we still laugh about today.

THAT WHICH WAS LOST

Turquoise encased in ornate silver - earrings like no other, given to me by my sister, Kim, along with a few other pair over four decades ago when she was sorting through her jewelry box.   More than happy to get them, I wore them regularly.

     A few short years ago, we were on a trip to Captain Cook, Hawaii to visit our son, Forrest, who lived and worked at a retreat center located high on a mountain overlooking the bay which sported the same color as the earrings I had been wearing since we left the mainland.

     Captain Cook is remote and jungle-like, dotted with working farms, small businesses, local restaurants, art shops, and coffee growers.  A much slower pace than Kona, it is surrounded by an untamed tangle of jungle vines, coconut palms, enormous fern, along with trees and plants bearing exotic fruits and flowers not found in cooler regions, sweet and colorful.

     It was in Captain Cook that I lost one of my treasured turquoise earrings, on a hot day, a swimming day, so off I walked down a recently cleared trail leading to the cooling bay.  Scrubby branches hung low, and as I moved one out of my path, an enormous brown spider flew into my hair, sending me into a panic of madly waving hands flinging through my long hair until I was sure the creature was gone.  Never a spider fan, a swim sounded even better: spiders don't swim.

     On my return from the bay, I reached up to brush hair from my face, and as my hand moved past my ear, I felt no earring.  It was gone! I knew immediately what had happened so traced my steps back through the spidery path to search for the missing earring.  I knew how minute was  the chance of finding it, and sure enough, with great disappointment, it remained lost.

     Soon after, I began an online search for a replacement for my earring; so many similar but never a true match.  A year passed, then another, and four with no luck.  My one vintage earring would remain a single. 

     Coming across my earring alone in my jewelry box one day, I decided to do another search.  It had been awhile and what could it hurt?  As I scrolled down through earring after earring for one matching my single, and ready to sign out, suddenly there they were - a matching pair!  Incredulous!  Clicking on Buy It Now, I quickly made the purchase before someone else did, and waited impatiently for the mail each day.  
     The little treasure finally arrived and now I have three nearly identical earrings.  As can be seen in the picture, the original is in the center and has a darker blue shade.  Also, the back is signed.  I will always keep it but how wonderful to have my turquoise earring set back.  These I won't wear to Hawaii.