Want what you have...

This is the secret to happiness. Of course, knowing it and living it are two different things.

I've never spent much of my life looking back. Sure, there are some things I'd do differently, but I don't dwell on them. And anyway they are mostly non-specific things, like I wish I'd done better in school...stuff like that.

I've also been able to do some things that I wouldn't change for anything. I've been to exciting places - Hawaii, the USVI, Germany and Mexico. I'd like to take my wife back to some of the places I got to go before I knew her. On the other hand, comparing trips I made with her and trips I made without her, the times with her are the most memorable. Not that I didn't enjoy trips with my family, but with those my memories are more about me. Trips with my wife have left me with memories about us.

One thing about trips I've taken with my wife: we've had some exceptional times in some relatively ordinary places. I remember driving along the Gulf Coast from New Orleans into Mississippi. We didn't really do much except drive and look at the houses along the beach. I won't ever forget it though.

We were able to turn a work trip to Florida into a vacation / wedding / honeymoon. We flew into Tampa, then drove to Ft. Lauderdale. I worked a few days in each place, then we got married (Tuesday, after work). We took the rest of the week for a honeymoon. We drove to the Keys. I have fond memories of an ordinary gas station / convenience store just across the bridge on Key Largo. It started pouring just as we got out of the car. I remember the little stand that sold Cuban sandwiches (and only Cuban sandwiches) out in front of the Publix grocery. We stayed in some truly memorable hotels.

Our wedding day was unlike anyone else's that we know. I worked that day. At lunch I took her to have her nails done. After work I went and picked up a bouquet for her (ordered it myself and I have to say, I was impressed). Then we drove together to Hillsboro Beach and got married on the beach - barefoot. Afterward we stopped at Outback Steakhouse on the way back to the hotel. (We had a tough time finding a place to eat, and almost settled on something like Burger King.) We celebrated with half a bottle of wine, and fell asleep early. We were both exhausted. And I wouldn't change a thing.

We have had similar times at other places (though we only got married the one time). One weekend we headed for a Trading Days sort of thing in a small town in central Texas, and ended up 8 hours later on the beach in Matagorda. We spent the night in Port LaVaca, had Church's Chicken for dinner, and got up the next morning and headed south to Port Aransas. Early that afternoon, we decided we'd better head home. In the end, we just drove a big circle. These are the memories I'm happiest about.

But I'm getting off track. My point is that happiness is in our hands. I could have the attitude that it takes a million dollar boat, a Learjet and a private island, and then I'd be happy. These things aren't likely. Or I could be happy with things that are a little more in my reach. Even if the million dollar boat was a possibility, given enough hard work, sacrifice and luck, I'd still have to spend all the time and energy necessary to obtain it. That doesn't seem very productive to me. I'm not saying I shouldn't aspire to greater things - I do. And I have my own Bucket List, parts of which are not really attainable. But my happiness doesn't depend on these.

Of course, there are some for whom the challenge is the reward. There are folks who find happiness not in owning something, but in obtaining it. Overcoming the challenges and the barriers does certainly provide satisfaction. And to those people, I raise my glass. Because for them, the challenge is the desire, and it's within their reach.

When we can learn to want the things we have, we'll have the things we want. And once in a while, something will come along and surprise us.

My Plan

So, I'm in the market for a boat...

Well, maybe not, but I'd like to be. I get these crazy notions from time to time. This time, it's to find an old boat sitting in the back of a boatyard somewhere; something that needs a lot of work. My plan is to make an offer and take it off the hands of its grateful owner - I'd say three or four hundred dollars is about where my budget lies.

This may sound like insanity. But apparently there are lots of people who have taken this approach. I am sure I'm underestimating the cost in both time and money to make the boat usable. Oh, and the cost in my wife's patience. I'll be redeemed when we sail off into the sunset together. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself...

Part of the problem is that I don't live near the coast. I do live close enough to a lake, but how far can you go in a lake? Besides, a boat big enough to sail around the world is a little too big for my lake, I'm sure. So I'm torn: find a smaller boat to work on; find a bigger boat and plan to either sell it or transport it; or wait? (I know, I could just move to the coast - believe me, I'm tempted.)

When I dream about this boat, I look forward to the time when I can leave some of this life behind. I like my job and I don't mind going to work, but I'll be happy when my only task for the day is to make it a hundred miles. There's a fair amount of stress in my life - I think most of the things that stress me won't really apply on the water. I wouldn't say there's much in my life to leave behind, but there are some things I won't miss.

ha! I'm getting ahead of myself again. I think that this looking ahead has given me a rosy outlook on what might be required. Then again, I'm pretty sure that nothing gets accomplished by people that sit and think of all the reasons why they can't.

I realize that the percentage of people that move aboard a sailboat and spend their days sailing wherever they want to go is small. But quite a few people do do it. So why not us? We're pretty smart. We're resourceful. We're motivated. My guess is that resourcefulness and motivation are the biggest things. Anyone can find money, somehow. It's kinda hard to figure out how to be self-sufficient.

Anyway, the more I think about this, the more I like it. Maybe tomorrow I'll start cruising the marinas.

Inauguration Day

Today was a weird day. It felt like a holiday. I tried to watch the inauguration festivities at work, online. Everyone else had the same idea, apparently - there wasn't enough bandwidth to go around. But what I saw was pretty impressive.

I guess I don't remember Bush's inaugurations. I mean, vaguely I do, but not the details. And I don't remember the coverage that today's events have gotten. All day long on some channels. And msnbc and cnn, along with my local news channels, had on-demand video all day. Not that I could watch it all...

I did get to see the swearing-in. I saw part of Obama's speech. I saw thousands of happy people. I think that this celebration is reflective of the country's attitude. There seems to be an optimism that hasn't been obvious for a while.

I didn't get to see the parade, but I did see that the Obamas walked more of the parade route than was expected (much to the dismay of the Secret Service, I'm sure). Then I watched part of the Neighborhood Ball this evening. I saw the first dance as the First Family. I remember when I was younger, the thing was to hold up lighters - everyone here held up digital cameras.

My point is this: throughout today's events, the Obamas showed themselves again and again to be real people. I'm not sure yet how that will come through in his leadership or his legacy - it will be interesting to see. But I think that for the first time in decades, we have a president that is "of the people."

I'm not generally vocal about my political or ideological views, and I don't mean this to be a political commentary. It is more about the accessibility of the inauguration and the President, and by extension, the Government. This is what struck me today, in all of this ceremony.

I've been to Washington DC a couple of times. It's a great city. The history and the tradition are tremendously interesting. There is a lot of beauty in the monuments and the parks - even the Capitol and Supreme Court and the Library of Congress and the Old Post Office are beautiful in their way.

But for most people, seeing Washington DC is not the same as seeing the government.

There has been a lot of interest in vacations with a purpose. People are interested in eco-vacations which strive to have minimal impact on the environment. Other people are taking working vacations, volunteering in scientific research projects, providing medical or teaching services, or building houses, schools and churches in poor communities.

An accessible government could lead to educational vacations for hundreds of thousands of Americans. For the sake of our country, I hope so.

Traveling at home...

I love Google Earth.

This is one of the coolest applications on the web. I can sit in my chair and go anywhere I want. I can spend as much or as little time as I want. I don't have to worry about taxis or bus fare. I can even put little push pins on places I really like, so I can go back anytime.

A couple of days ago, I discovered Street View on Google maps. This is even cooler. I'd heard of Street View a long time ago, and there were something like 3 or 5 beta locations. I never could find one though, and I forgot about it. Then last week I was looking at something and zoomed in a little too close. wow. I've been exploring ever since.

I went to the Keys and wandered up and down Duval Street in Key West. I went out to LA and went sightseeing - Mann's Chinese Theater was pretty cool. I went to Bourbon Street in the French Quarter (looks about the same as it always did). One day I'll take my family and see these places for real, but for now...

Then I went and explored my own neighborhood. I see that my wife was not home when they took the pictures on our street. My neighbor had his windows open. The guy down the street hadn't mowed his yard in a while. I can't imagine what would be all that interesting about my neighborhood, but there it is in all its glory.

We still can't teleport like they did on Star Trek and we don't have the Jetsons' conveniences. But the technology on the web is amazing and it's growing all the time. I still can't zoom in as close as I want with Google Earth. Google Maps Street View only works for looking at stuff from the street. I can't use it to stand at the edge of the ocean or to hang out on the banks of a river. And there are places that aren't included - I couldn't find any place in Hawaii that would let me get down to street level. I'll keep checking though.

Vagabonding

I don't really get the whole blog thing, but I have a lot to say (even if it's mostly to myself) and so maybe I'll give this a try. Y'all can read it or not.

I've always been a little restless, most of my life. I am always looking forward to the next trip. My wife and I have been able to travel a bit and one day it's what we'll do. I sit and I dream about moving to Florida. Or Hawaii. Or aboard a sloop headed south. Or anywhere else with sun and sand and surf.

Several years ago I ran across a poem that has stuck with me. Don Blanding, the poet laureate of Hawaii, has written some poetry, done a bit of drawing and painting, and created some dinnerware (it's true). Anyway, he wrote this poem that reminds me of me. You can read about Don at http://www.don-blanding.com/index.htm.

The Double Life

How very simple life would be

If only there were two of me

A Restless Me to drift and roam

A Quiet Me to stay at home.

A Searching One to find his fill

Of varied skies and newfound thrill

While sane and homely things are done

By the domestic Other One.

And that's just where the trouble lies;

There is a Restless Me that cries

For chancy risks and changing scene,

For arctic blue and tropic green,

For deserts with their mystic spell,

For lusty fun and raising Hell.

But shackled to that Restless Me

My Other Self rebelliously

Resists the frantic urge to move.

It seeks the old familiar groove

That habits make. It finds content

With hearth and home -- dear prisonment,

With candlelight and well-loved books

And treasured loot in dusty nooks,

With puttering and garden things

And dreaming while a cricket sings

And all the while the Restless One

Insists on more exciting fun,

It wants to go with every tide,

No matter where...just for the ride.

Like yowling cats the two selves brawl

Until I have no peace at all.

One eye turns to the forward track,

The other eye looks sadly back.

I'm getting wall-eyed from the strain,

(It's tough to have an idle brain)

But One says "Stay" and One says "Go"

And One says "Yes," and One says "No,"

And One Self wants a home and wife

And One Self craves the drifter's life.

The Restless Fellow always wins

I wish my folks had made me twins.