Start or End here

If you were to give someone a road map, most of us could clearly define where to enter. Where to exit.

It's the middle that confuses us. The middle sends us off is all sorts of directions. But we KNOW - if you start one place. You should really end at the other.

We just don't have a road map of the middle.

I have written many blogs about the middle of things. The middle when it gets crazy and confusing and we don't think we have any direction.

Today though I realized, we are wrong about the middle. We are wrong for so long. We keep thinking we need to put the middle on a map. If we enter at point A and Exit at point B. Shouldn't it be easy to get from one to the other?

Sometimes the time from Point A to Point B is hours. Other times? Days. Other times? Decades.

Sometimes we find a different Point B on our way.

Some friends of my sons parents and I were all talking about this summer. They are going to Kona. My heart hurt just a little when they said they were going.

I asked if they wanted a resource.- I had lived there for 5 summers, I could give them some pointers. I told them I would not expect them to do what I wast telling them about. I would give them a local perspective.

The text arrived today, "Okay, tour guide, send us on our way.". The parents. Asking for suggestions.

They have never been to Hawaii. Where do I start?

I started with an e-mail.

This e-mail began:  Either start or end here, ((giving location))

For the first time in my entire life, I filled in the middle......

Living life

The neighborhood I live in was built in 1955.

Brick ranch style houses. Houses that were top of the line in 1955.

My house still has the original master bath - pink and burgundy. Double pink sinks. Pink Toilet. Pink Commode. I can't even think of changing it.

As much as my neighborhood is new - it's still old. Or, as I would like to think - traditional.

We still have ice cream trucks in the summer.

There is a tire swing in my Willow tree. A tire that fell out of the tree when a young girl down the street was swinging on it.

She was crying when she ran up to tell me she had "broke my tree".

Sweet kids still afraid of telling grown ups "I made a mistake"

I told her, "Everything breaks after a while. Thanks for coming to tell me. I'll get it fixed. Please come back and swing some more."

The neighborhood house. This was the house I wanted to live in when I was a kid.

But that was my childhood.

I figure it's this way in life:

you live you life you thought you were supposed to have.

Sit around and be disappointed about your life.

Or

Go live the life you wanted.

Of course, that is simple in theory.

There is heartache. Disappointment. Ecstasy. Everything in between.

Pick which one works best for you.

Remind me to tell you about my library.

Growing into things

Sometimes when we see things or hear things, we think

"That's too big for me."

or maybe

"That's not enough for me"

It doesn't fit for the time or place.

Things change.

When we were first told we were getting "Ambrose" - we didn't like the name at all.

We picked a nickname for him.

Brodie.

Brodie was 8 weeks old. This little bitty thing of a puppy.

To me, it's much like the name "Richard"

Hard to call a little baby, "Richard". Many are called,

Richie

Ricky

Then, he moves to Rich.

Perhaps then to

"Dick"

Have you ever met a baby named "Dick"?

You grow into things. You grow into names.

The name Ambrose seemed so foreign when he was 8 weeks old. He's seven months old today. The name Ambrose is fitting him better.

He's growing into his name.

Your next one

Having our first CCI puppy has been a delight.

The number TWO question. After the number ONE question (How are you going to give him up?), is well, when do you get the NEXT one?

Society assumes we have to do things again.

People have one child. When's the next? How far apart do you want them?

Society also assumes, once you have done something, you are going to want to do that same thing again.

THEN - society tells us - every experience is different. Treat each one likes it own. Even if you are doing the same thing a second time.

Why would this time be just like the last?

With most, "first children" - there are certain expectations we create around those kids. What we expect of them. How we hope they will turn out.

Second children? Third? We have those expectations too, only truthfully, we just hope we - and them - all get to the finish line alive. (The finish line being each milemarker in life).

I'm probably just the same. Yet, the complete opposite all at the same time.

Let's say my CCI puppy graduates from Advanced Training and gets matched.

Let's say my oldest son graduates from high school. Is a productive member of society and can live on his own.

That would all be great.

Do you really think the next one wouldn't raise that bar?

If my first one was great, wait until you meet the next one.......

Raise the Bar

My sons high school has a 'pep rally' three times a year. Fall sports. Winter sports. Spring Sports.

I remember in high school - we had a pep rally once a week for football. I'm not sure if we had them for the other sports.

(BTW, I really HATE the phrase "when I was a kid". No one cares about when you were a kid. Get over it. Your childhood is OVER. This is NOT your chance to re-live what SHOULD have been your childhood.)

Sorry for the tangent.

Last year was the FIRST year EVER in the history of Denver Public Schools for the district to have a hockey team. It was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

The hockey team was good. Not great. Good.

They made it to the first round of playoffs.

There was then the "Winter Pep Rally".

NORMALLY, when the teams come out: the athletes walk out. Wave. The crowd cheers. The announcers announce the "team"

"Please welcome the East High School Wrestling team."

Everyone cheers. Everyone waves.

Last year, the hockey team was announced.

They had a "skit" planned: they lined up the players as bowling pins and "rolled" a senior to the pins.

The crowd went crazy..........

This year: the hockey team set it up to have a little brother of the team (he just turned 10) - "Sack" all the players and score a "goal" on the best goalie in the state.

The crowd, once again, went crazy.

The other teams, still walked onto the floor of the gym and waived.

Except, for one other team - they had a skit this year too.

The hockey team has "raised the bar"

Set a standard higher than what was previously attained.

The hockey team is already worried about what they might do next year. Next year, "to top" this years performance.

Sometimes you change what is considered "standard"

Sometimes you raise the bar.....

Peter Pan and Hope are Assholes

Peter Pan is the child like adult we all want to change. Either that, or we want to go play with him. The thing is, he will never be the man we want him to be.

The grown up in all of us, knows that. Hope refuses to believe he's not turning out the way we thought.

Hope - she just "knows" Peter Pan is going to want to go. She just wishes he wouldn't be who he is. Only, who he is, is who she loves. Hope is whom he loves too.

Hope and Peter Pan are in a fight.

They are fighting over the way things are "supposed to be".

In the meantime, Gypsy Girl received a call from Mr. Bigg.

The real Mister Bigg. The real - thank you for bringing me back to reality. Thanks for being this incredible guy - a wife, kids, running a huge international company. The friend of mine whom all he wanted to know I was okay.

He wins.

Peter Pan loses.

Mr Big called to tell Faith - it's all good. Glad that we were all friends.

So does Hope. Gypsy Girl - Hope's cousin. Faith's sister.  Gypsy learned to go on with her life.

Or she caught the last port from Kona. She went on.

Her cousin Faith? She lived Happily Ever After.