Guest Post: What I've Learned

While Bernie is away with her husband and family, I, Fragrant Liar, have been asked to guest post. And I thought, hey, Bernie may have a few years on me, but I've learned some things about life, too! Like . . .

I'm thinking . . . I'm thinking . . .

Well, take my word for it. I have learned a bunch of stuff. And I fully expect to continue being educated the hard way on plenty more things by the time I get to toast the full century mark. Here are seven things I have learned so far (and no, that is not the sum total):

1. Men may come and go, as will some dear friends, but children are forever. Better to treat them well so they'll want to come visit you in the old folks home.
2. While your beloved pets won't come visit you in the old folks home, they will frequently give you more love and attention than your own kids, and maybe that's a good enough reason to leave everything in your will to the four-paws. Take that!
3. Your children are indeed watching and learning from you, so don't be surprised when they pick up your worst behavior and model it right back atchya.
4. Sometimes I spend too much time dreaming of what could be, rather than enjoying what already is in the present. Hey, with the daily 9-to-5 grind, can you blame me?
5. Fear is a bigger obstacle to accomplishing your goals than you realize. So is apathy, but I really don't care about that.
6. Writing fiction is an excellent use of my time, as it feeds my soul the way nothing else in life really can. Except maybe a man, but he has to be a really special—no, wait. Scratch that last sentence.
7. Good friends come from all walks of life and all ages, and I am a very fortunate woman to enjoy beautiful friendships with so many fine people. I have no regrets about the not-so-fine friends I've dumped along the way.

I raise my wine glass in tribute to Bernie and her husband Bill, and the rest of their family as they endure a very difficult time. My thoughts are with you. ~ Kimber

LOST PEOPLE AND PLACES

We tell ourselves we must go to see Mary or we must write to Paul or we must call John on the phone. Our intentions are good, but many times we get busy with our own lives and never get around to contacting our old friends or relatives. Time flies by and one day you realize it is too late to talk to them anymore. You missed it. You missed days, months, even years of enjoyment interacting with these people. Why is this? Why do we choose to live with regret and a sense of loss and rue the fact that we didn't keep close to those loved ones?

I'm sure all of you can relate to this feeling, whether young or old. Some folks we would just as soon not see anymore, but then there are the precious ones that we enjoyed but thought we had forever to see. I miss Paul, my brother who could make the fun out of anything. He lived near Chicago. Not that far from us. But visits were few and far between. When I was young and romping through college, I had such a hard time to just go home to visit with my mom even on Mother's Day! She died when I was 23. We take people for granted and do not cultivate our gardens of loved ones.

Whenever we went on a road trip somewhere, there would always be places of special attraction such as a horse farm in Kentucky or the Grand Canyon in Arizona or the Chicoteaque horses in Virginia. These are just a few of the places that we were close to, or right there but Bill who had a penchant for "making time" would pass up and say that we would go there when we came back some day. Well, some day never came and we never went back except to the horse farm. We were as close as Lexington, Flagstaff, and (I need a map) for the island. So my daughter learned from this and when she takes a road trip, she looks up all the points of interest and takes detours to find them and experience them.

So this post is about gathering rosebuds while ye may or making hay while the sun shines. I hope you all will pay attention and write to that old friend today and don't skip the special things there are to see as you travel. The motel will be there when you get there and maybe the light will even be on for you!