"Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel that I found my own introspective way into becoming a part of it." Eudora Welty
The big blue school bus pulled up outside the May Lodge at the Jenny Wiley State Resort and Park, bright and early. Well, the early part is right but it wasn’t bright outside, and there was no sign of a sunrise yet. It was long before we were all really awake, to be honest. We were a small group of seven, but were eager to find a seat and make our way.
There was an autumn chill in the air and the fog hung heavy above the treetops. Our journey to see the elk had begun.
It's #MantraMonday again and I'm taking the opportunity to share my approach to life and work. In short, it's like a “choose your own adventure” book. They were a favorite of mine when I was a kid. A turn of the page would either start a new chapter or lead to a dead end.
Regardless of which path we choose to take, we are shaped by our experiences. We learn and grow from them, whether it’s an easy lesson or something much more difficult. We move forward with a new way of seeing the world, forever changed by the people we meet and the events that unfold in our lives. So despite hitting a dead end, opportunity stills exists.
My childhood home is in North Mississippi. It is a 1917 white clapboard farmhouse with an L-shaped front porch, a couple of lovely gables, and a 200-year-old pecan tree out back. (There was an ash tree in the front yard, just as old as the pecan; but, a tornado came through in the 80s and it fell on the house while we were at the church bazaar.)
We were no strangers to squirrels in the attic. Their bumping and scratching beneath and beyond the wooden clapboard walls was a constant source of annoyance. Daddy waged a world war against them for years and finally gave up. You could hit the wall with your fist and maybe they'd stop making noise for a few minutes. If you were lucky, you fell asleep before they started back again.
Rodents of all sizes had their ways of getting inside and next thing you know, there's a resident rat in the old pump organ.
Floors weren't level and creaked constantly, so there was no way of being quiet, ever.