Someday

I saw a great T-Shirt today. Here is what it had written on it

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

See, there is no “someday”

I did not purchase the T-shirt, but I agree with the sentiment. Unfortunately many of us spend our lives just going through the motions waiting for “someday” to come. Someday I will get a new job. Someday I will finish my degree. Someday I will deal with my addiction. Someday I will apologize. Someday I will forgive. Someday I will get in shape. Someday I will be happy. Someday I will _____________________________ (you fill in the blank).

The rash of celebrity deaths in recent days reminds us that even for the rich and famous our days may be cut short and we may run out of time before our someday arrives.

Here’s a thought. Why not make today be your someday?

Why put it off any longer?

When I was a child and had a band-aid on that needed to be changed I would try to painlessly ease the adhesive away from my skin. But that never worked. Sometimes you just need to grit your teeth and rip it off and get it over with. It actually hurts less that way. For you see, "Much of the pain of pain lies in the anticipation of the pain rather than the pain itself" (with apologies to Mike Brady).

I don’t know who I am writing this to tonight – it is late and I need to go to sleep. Perhaps I am writing to myself, or maybe I am writing to you. It does not matter. Truth is truth. Someday never comes. Make today be your someday and you won’t regret it. Deal with whatever it is that needs to be dealt with. Pray about it, make a decision, and then step into the pain and move on with your plan. There is no someday... there is only today.

Each Day is Special, God Made It So

God can be seen every day by the seashore. Look in any direction, and there He is.

I see Him in the clockwork precision of the tides, ebbing and flowing right on schedule every day, day after day, year after year. I see Him in the orderly rising and setting of the sun and the moon, and in the course of the stars as they make their way across the heavens each night. I see Him in the refreshing late-afternoon showers that wash away the heat of the day and clear the crowds off the beaches. I see Him in the beautiful patterned shells, strewn in a kaleidoscope of color on the pristine sugar-white sand in the golden light of early morning. I see Him in the waves as they relentlessly tumble up on land and then gently retreat back into the sea. I see Him in the wind and its daily shift from sea breeze in the daytime to land breeze at night.

I see Him in the pod of dolphins frolicking just off the pier, with a baby dolphin doing its best to stick close to its mother, mimicking her every move. I see Him in the bright flash of color as the mackerel and other fish strike my lure while I am fishing; and in even in their eyes as they peer up at me once I have caught them before I release them to fight another angler on another day.

I see Him in the flight of laughing gulls as they return to roost each night, winging their way across the island as the sun sets. I see His hand in the unique way each of the shorebirds knows exactly where, when, and how to catch its next meal; the sandpipers and sanderlings dancing with the waves as they pluck crustaceans from the wet sand, the terns as they hover motionless above the surf before dive-bombing unsuspecting fish below; the pelicans as they crash into the surf, mouth agape, filling their pouch with minnows; the black skimmer using its elongated beak to skim small fish from the water as it flies just above the surface of the water; and the stealthy great blue heron stalking its prey along the water’s edge knowing just when to strike in order to catch an unlucky shiner.

The seashore is a microcosm of the larger world and like the stars and planets and tides and wildlife, each one is imprinted with beauty and precision by the Maker’s hand. How sad it is that we often live our days unknowingly, our hours slipping by, our minds and spirits oblivious to God’s order, His provision, His purposes, and the gift of life that each day brings. When I return home, perhaps I will remember these times by the seashore and remember that each day is unique and each day is precious.

"Captain" Steve

I know many of you have been holding your breath wondering if I ever got the boat started down here. Well, good news, I did! Actually I had to call someone Don and Myralyn knows down here (Bob Kelly) and he met me at the boat and he checked out a few things. Finally he sat down and tried to crank it and the boat was doing the same thing, just turning over but not firing. As I watched Bob I noticed a little red thingie (not a precise nautical term) below the throttle. I asked Bob what it was and he said, "Oh, that's the kill switch so the boat will cut off in case the driver gets knocked out of the boat." Then he flipped a toggle switch on the little thingie the other way and the boat cranked right up. It was that simple.

At any rate, I took the boat out into the bay for a spin then called Donna on the way back in and asked if she wanted to go out and, surprisingly, she agreed. So I picked her up at the dock and we went back out and drove around the canals and the bay for about 30 minutes.

The thing about boating down here is there are specific channels in the bays, canals, and in the intercoastal waterway that you have to stay in because the water is so shallow in spots. Once I figured out where the channels were (by watching other people) everything was fine.

So, this is "Captain" Steve signing out for a while. I hope to check back in later - I am going back out in the boat before lunchtime. Until then..... Yo ho ho, it's a seaman's life for me!

Independence Day Part Deux

Okay, so I beat Donna like a drum in Ping Pong - I mean I nailed her and she usually beats me.

Then we went down the street to the annual AMI Privateers Independence Day parade. It was pretty neat. They throw more beads than candy, ala Mardi Gras. We got plenty of them as you can see from the ones around my neck in the photo.

I know you are enjoying these practically hourly reports. About to go to the beach. Life is good.

Happy Independence Day!

Woke up this morning to beautiful skies on AMI - after morning coffee and time with the Lord I headed to the City Pier to cast a few times. Caught a nice mackerel. Then I took a bike ride, tried to get the boat started (again) and headed back to the house.

About to beat Donna in ping pong.

Happy 4th everyone!

PS - the photo above is City Pier at sunrise - beautiful boat anchored just off the pier.

Morning Reverie

This morning I walked from our place all the way down the beach to the pier at the Manatee County public beach. That is quite a long walk for an old guy like me. This photo is my footprints looking back towards our place. At any rate, it was great watching people begin their day by setting up their umbrellas and all the paraphernalia you need to spend a few hours at the beach. I also saw the early morning fishermen and a few joggers and shell collectors.

One thing I have noticed is several instances of what I call beach reverie. Reverie is such a great word, isn’t it? It means to be “lost in thought” or “absent-minded daydreaming.” This happens all the time at the beach. You see people sitting or standing looking out to sea with a smile on their face and who knows what on their mind. There is something magical about doing that. Your mind kind of melds with God and nature and you are swept away to another place and time. There is something eternal about it; something infinite. Birds do it too – I especially wonder what is on a bird’s mind as it stands facing into the wind looking toward the horizon.



Speaking of birds, there are tons of seashore and wading birds on AMI. This morning I saw several species of them on my extended walk. I saw a couple of blue herons, tons of laughing gulls, a few egrets, three or four white ibis, a few common terns dive-bombing the shallows for fish, and of course, a brown pelican or two. You also see other species here including herring gulls and black skimmers. The photo above is a great blue heron that was standing by the pier. The bird did not seem scared of me whatsoever and I am grateful. It was awesome to stand so close to such a magnificent creature and look into its eyes.

Today I am going to go over and see if I can get Don’s boat started and tootle around the canals a bit. I am definitely not comfortable with this. For one, the boat is totally unfamiliar to me and for another, the water is so shallow in many places it is easy to run aground. In case you see no more posts for the next few days it means I did not make it back – please send the Coast Guard! More later (hopefully!) …. Steve

AMI

I am back on Anna Maria Island this 2009 Fourth of July week. I am sorry for everyone else who still slaving away at work back home – but this trip will be our last hurrah before a very busy fall, so I am not feeling too bad about it. I am going to try to get back into the habit of blogging this week, although my blogs will probably not be work-related as much as they will be life-related (which brings up the idea of a great blog about why we tend to compartmentalize our lives and the age-old question of “why can’t we live like we’re on vacation every day?”). Right now it is raining outside, so I am inside writing this.

I digress – let me begin by giving a little info about where we are. First of all, we are here mainly because Donna’s parents own a house here and so coming down is a very inexpensive getaway (basically just our gas to get down here and what we spend on food). I know, I am cheap, but I like to think of it as being a “really good steward of our resources.” (Thanks Don and Myralyn!)

What about Anna Maria Island itself? Anna Maria, known locally as simply AMI, is a beautiful seven-mile long Island that sits at the entrance to Tampa Bay. It’s about a 9-hour drive from our home north of Atlanta to here, but it is practically all expressway (mostly I-75), and always worth the drive. The best way I know to describe the island is to say it has the beautiful turquoise water like the Destin/Panama City Beach area, coupled with the “island feel” you get in St. Simons (some of you will be familiar with these comparisons). The pace here is very low-key and laid-back. There are no fast food restaurants, no high-rises and it is not nearly as crowded as the afore-mentioned beaches. The feel of AMI is often compared to the Florida Keys, without all the weirdness. Around here you see plenty of palm trees, hibiscus, oleander, lizards, pelicans, sea gulls, bicyclists, sea-turtle nests, and gorgeous sunsets. There is always something to do on AMI – but there is also no need to feel guilty if you just want to sit under an umbrella on the beach and read a good book.

Okay, okay, I realize I sound like a travel guide now, so I will stop, but honestly, it is a great place to relax and unwind. I have been here less than 24 hours now and I am beginning to start to relax – it takes a while for me. Once the rain stops and I can get back outside and get some sand between my toes, I will begin the process of unwinding the coil that is usually wound so tight in me. I will be writing more soon…