Note: I wrote this a week ago but I wasn't near a computer when I wanted to write it. So, I've been carrying it around in my purse on a small notepad I grabbed off my desk at work. (I'm taking the notepad back, in case any boss type person happens to read this.) Anyway, I'm obviously a huge procrastinator since all I had to do was type it and here it is a week later and I haven't. I had every intention of doing it this afternoon, but at 3:05, tragedy struck room E151 and I was in such a, for lack of a better term, crappy mood, that I thought it was bad karma to type a tranquil post while radiating fury. (Don't worry, I'm sure I'll share the tragic story sometime) I eventually calmed down, watched my favorite sitcoms, and am in a much better place, so I'm giving it a try. Enjoy.
As I look back on my life growing up, I really had much to be thankful for. (For which to be thankful?? The teacher in me just can't take a break) My parents loved me and spent many hours with me, either playing games, teaching me something, talking with me, and supporting me in everything I did. Sometimes, it was the simplest things that made me so happy. One of my most favorite things to do was to load up with my dad (& oftentimes my pesky brother-I mean that in the most loving way possible) and go look for deer at Fort Chaffee. We would fight for a turn with the binoculars (camo colored, small, had a distinct rubber smell to them that to this day I can swear I smell sometimes) and keep track of how many deer we each saw in a slight competition (slight might be an understatement). I loved looking at the old buildings around the base, and trying to imagine them when the paint was still fresh and with the hustle and bustle of an active base around them. I liked pointed out the chapels, the golf course, the swimming pool, the cemetery (was there a cemetery? Now I'm thinking I made that part up...). I even remember one time we took my grandfather's Cutlass convertible-it was a profitable evening in terms of wildlife spotting. I believe we even made up a song to keep track of our numbers-something like 28 deer, and a buck, and a bird, and snake, and a bobcat (Obviously, song writing was not our strong suit.) Anyway, these excursions stick out in my mind as some of the best family spent. Side note: That Cutlass has since been fully redone by my grandpa and is so stinkin' cherry that I wouldn't dream of taking it to look for deer. One of those crazy animals might jump out in front of it and mess up the paint job!
Last Sunday afternoon, we were feeling a little cabin feverish so my husband and I loaded up our son and took to the gravel roads. For 2 hours, we drove the countryside, watching for wildlife and taking in the sights. Seeing crumbling, abandoned farmhouses and barns and watching animals dart through the trees reminded me of the wonderful times my family used to have doing exactly the same thing. That's when I realized that I can treasure the memory and be grateful for the experience, but I don't necessarily have to long for times gone by, because now I have the chance to pass the experience on to my son. I truly hope he can learn to enjoy the simple things in life the way my dad taught me with all those lazy Sunday drives.
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