Sun trips

Well, I’ve taken another full trip around the sun. On this day forty{mumble} years ago, The Lady My Mother went through an awful lot of misery to have me…it’s a wonder she didn’t immediately toss me off the Golden Gate Bridge, all things considered.

But she didn’t, and in fact she and my father sheltered, protected, fed and clothed me for a ridiculously long time before I finally left the nest. A solid twenty-four trips around the sun they put up with…it’s a wonder they still speak to me, let alone come over to watch my children who alas, take after their mother in large degree.

These last two trips around the sun haven’t been particularly great. Between one thing (joint pain) and another (job/financial situation), between this (major remodeling job) and that (housing market swoon right after we refinanced to pay for the major remodeling job), there have been times when I’ve testily thought that I was pretty tired of this constant journeying around the sun.

I’ve wished I could get off the ride. Stretch my legs, maybe. Breathe a little. Not be constantly moving-moving-moving.

But of course, the journey is the whole point. It’s about enjoying where I am. Not dwelling on where I’ve been or worrying about where I’m going…although a little worry about that whole future-thing tends to avert a whole lot of disaster when today becomes tomorrow which then becomes holy crap I’ve got four kids in college at the same time.

This last year has been one wild ride. There have been highs and lows. The next one is probably going to be even wilder. So many things are being set into motion, so many balls are going up into the air, so many new frontiers to explore…so many new mistakes to make, so many new victories to claim…

We live, we learn, we grow, we stumble, we fall, we pick ourselves up and try again.

And I’m going to do my best to enjoy the trip…skinned knees and all.