“I tramped through the country
To get the feeling
That I was not a separate thing from the earth.
I used to lose myself
By lying with eyes half-open in the woods.
Sometimes I talked with animals….”

― Edgar Lee Masters, Spoon River Anthology

Walking

I like walking more than just about anything. I'll walk anywhere, but I prefer walking in forest and field, hill and dale, seaside and riverside, and, of course, the mountains.
I can walk for hours and never notice the time passing or feel tired, and certainly never bored.
Sometimes people ask me what I think about when I'm walking.  All I can say is everything and nothing.  It depends.  If I have some problem or some issue to work out or resolve, my mind may dwell on that.  Or I may observe where I am passing through and what it is like.  Other times, I think of nothing at all, my mind as empty as a cloud drifting along the sky.
I prefer to walk alone, though I enjoy company when it's available.  I do prefer a silent companion, one who speaks rarely, unless there is something to talk about.  But mostly I prefer silence.
A dog makes the very best companion to walk with, because not only is a dog silent, but he notices things that you would not.  Of course, you need to have a well-trained dog who obeys you and does not rush off chasing wildlife or livestock.
I don't care to meet other people when I walk, and if I do I pass with a "good-day" and little more.  I'm not walking to interact with people but to leave the world of people behind for a while.

 “How did one begin an adventure? Almost any road you took would lead there, if only you went on far enough.” 
~ Barbara Newhall Follett

“The walking of which I speak has nothing in it akin to taking exercise, as it is called, … but it is itself the enterprise and adventure of the day.” 
~ Henry David Thoreau

Pick your heaven

If I had my choice of heavens, I think I'd pick one one where I could just hike as long as I wanted, as far as I wanted to go.  I would want to be physically fit, with good wind and stamina for uphill climbs, but I'd want to naturally get tired and be able to find a cozy spot in the sun and out of the wind to doze off at, waking up hungry to munch on an apple and a bit of cheese, maybe a cracker, and drink some water.  Not much of a meal for heaven?  Well, enough is a good as a feast.

The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

Midnight to lonely midnight, each night until the dawn, the sad set...

I must remember to use words of no more than one syllable

when addressing human beings.

What Man has Wrought

The little cares that fretted me,

I lost them yesterday

Among the fields above the sea,

Among the winds at play.
~  Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Girl talk?

Yeah, well you ought to listen to "guy talk" sometime!
Actually, I like this song.  It's kind of sweet.   And, um, also kind of true.
It's a shame no one would dare write or sing a song like this today.  I guess it's sexist, but so what?   Men and women are different and have not always the most flattering views of each other.  But that doesn't mean they don't like each other; in fact, need each other to be happy and content.  At least I do.

"Women and cats will do as they please,

and men and dogs should relax

and get used to the idea."

~ Robert A. Heinlein

Surfer Girl Credo

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Surfer Girl Credo

I was browsing through some old files I found on a thumb drive and found this from way back when.  Gave me a nostalgic chuckle about who I used to be and what my attitudes once were (not bad, actually).  I was very happy in those days, but, of course, didn't realize it. 

Wanda's Surfer Girl Credo

Even though surfer girls may have a don't-care attitude, they are classy. They relax and take life as it rolls in with the waves.  They are chilled.

*A surfer girl is confident, optimistic and friendly.
*She never takes life too seriously. She's cool and down with it; that means she is open-minded and ready to try new things.
*If someone does something she doesn't agree with, she doesn't start criticizing: let others do what they want, it's none of her concern.
*If someone complains about her, she takes it in stride--you can't please everyone.
*If someone's nasty to her face, she smiles and shrugs. 

“She was hurt to find life made up of so many little things. At first she believed most faithfully that they had a deeper meaning and a coherent larger purpose; but after a while she saw to her dismay that the deeper and larger things were merely shadows cast by the small. So she buried the whole great treasure of winged dreams and iridescent shades under an oak-tree in the farthest corner of her heart, and planted a bush of wild roses over it. A small grave of dreams. Secretly and silently she buried them, a little ashamed, as a burglar might be who had long pursued some gleaming ruby necklace, and, having by infinite stealth and risk obtained it, found that it was red glass.”
― Barbara Newhall Follett 

Naval officer etiquette from 1944

  An era one with Nineveh and Tyre...

If Calvin lived in Elizabethan England