|
Happiness - It's Just Enjoying the Scenery
By Donovan Baldwin
"The really happy man is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour."
Anonymous
Shortly after we got married, my wife got introduced to two of my favorite clichés:
"Always remember. No matter where you go, there you are", and
"I've got to be somewhere doing something."
She managed to put up with this nonsense for several years despite occasionally threatening to do me bodily harm. (She's Sicilian, you know. They're like that. At least that's what her family tells me.) It took a while, but she finally came to realize that I actually did live my life that way. When I said, "It's okay with me," or "whatever you want to do is fine", I meant it! I was going to be happy wherever I was, doing whatever I was doing. This was probably enforced by over twenty years of following orders in the army.
This situation endured for over 10 years of marriage.
A few weeks ago, we were visiting the Pensacola area where I grew up for a few days to case the joint. We were thinking about retiring back to my boyhood home. My wife is from Arizona originally, but has discovered the lure of trees, shade, Gulf beaches, and sea breezes. To put it simply, she's hooked.
While riding around the area, we got lost on a back road in Florida in a small town (I use the term loosely) near the Blackwater River. It could have been several years ago, and we saw several houses that were probably old when I was a boy (hint: I'm 61) and a few dogs who just didn't think that the thrill of chasing the car was worth the effort.
As we cruised along beneath stately old oaks, some with beards of moss, with the sunshine glancing off the river, I committed the gravest sin. I went down the wrong road. Now normally, this might inspire comments which might be construed as negative in nature, but on that day and in that place, there was only silence. I hastened to apologize, to which my wife replied with a slightly wistful sound to her voice, "We've got to be somewhere doing something, and I can't think of anywhere better to be than here, doing what we're doing."
Wow! A conversion is a wonderful thing to witness.
She still has relapses, but for the most part since returning home life has been a lot quieter and gentler. We all have to be somewhere doing something, and I am certainly glad that I'm wherever she is, and doing what we are doing. About the Author Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer and University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. Learn more about self improvement at web-home.ws/self-improvement/.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/43635.html
If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/43635.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
Some other articles by Donovan Baldwin | Why I Love Books by Unknown Authors Years ago in college (we won't say how many years ago, okay?), I was exposed to the wisdom of "college professors" for the first time. ...
Don't Get Caught In The Efficiency Trap Okay, I'm going to start off by talking bad about a Toyota dealer, so before we get into it, let's make a couple of things clear. I own a ...
In Advertising, Marketing, and Sales, Numbers Rule Let's talk about some numbers and how they relate to advertising, marketing, and sales. They are equally applicable to internet marketing or to offline marketing.
Specifically, we are going to talk about the 80/20 rule, ...
Moving Day And My Father's Simple Way Of Saving Money Over the last few years, society has made it easier for us to spend money and has provided us with a huge array of goodies on ...
A Novel Idea For Solving The Success Puzzle As a writer writing for other writers, I have written a couple of articles on how writers can come up with ideas. ...
It Helps To Speak The Language Years ago when I was stationed in Germany, my recently widowed mother came for a visit. She had never left the States before, so this was an adventure for her. Actually, she took it ...
|
|
| |