Cover

fresh air on the wind 00025

Went down to Port A for just Saturday checking out the camping areas.  Once it warms up a bit we'll head down there for a few days.  I loved being at the coast.  I have high hopes that camping out will really rock.  I'm also a bit anxious that I'll absolutely not love it.
Trying to dissuade husband from going all in on a camp stove for the first trip.  On the other hand, he realizes how important a "first thing" cup of coffee is to me and it is a kindness to accommodate that.
We always get out very early to walk along the shore.  Usually we see the sun rising.
We've never gone out without a mug of hot coffee in my hand.

A couple weeks ago someone was talking about diversity (in support of Dr. Martin Luther King Day).
He made an interesting statement (I thought), basically this - God is three, Father, Son, Holy Spirit: distinctly different yet one. He said that supports a look at what unity amidst diversity might look like. I wasn't thinking about black/white stuff precisely (though I should have been had I not let my mind wander).  I like the idea of this in that context, but I was really thinking about it in light of how diversified strength sets enhance pretty much every situation.  Rather, they could. They would if it wasn't so hard to let people bring their good stuff to the table without getting feathers ruffled. I have seen and/or participated in some really outstanding team work over my life time.  Mostly though, I've seen people unable to communicate, unwilling to participate ... people have a hard time with cooperating.  Seems like.

Recently, in a totally different setting (church - sermon) the idea of us hiding our uniqueness was mentioned.  He said something like : when Adam and Eve sinned they realized they were naked (exposed) and they thought to hid themselves.  The clothing (which God made) covered something which they felt needed covered.  Everyone, God, Adam, and Eve, were fine with them being au naturel  before.  Someone suggested (not at church and not on this topic, it just fits for me within the recent stream of thoughts) that we do not celebrate our uniqueness.  We have clothes which identify us, status symbols within various groups, just so many different ways to communicate - this is who I am.  And a lot of times it's underlined with I am important (more important then you guys).
I mentioned in conversation with a friend that I could be exactly who I am ... exactly me ... but with a full sleeve of tattoos and pink tipped hair; and  I would be perceived as significantly bit different then I am.
One of my kids said in passing, "I used to buy the clothes that everyone (young professionals) like me is buying.  Even if I didn't like it, I'd buy it and wear it.  Now I am wearing only things that I actually like and people like me are finding me." She's a little "arty".  Fortunately for her she works in an artistic profession and I will say she wears the cutest shoes (but they are not pumps).  She finished school, got the job, bought the clothes.  Now she's fine tuning her uniqueness back in.

I saw a couple of kayaks on a truck rack at the beach.  I wanted to ask the guy who got out of the truck if he had good success using them in the Gulf side or if they were only launched in the Bay.  They were smaller then the ones we've been looking at.  Turned out the guy loved to talk (which was nice, I love to listen).  He told us all about his kayaks.  And all about his kayak shop (which he opened with a guy who knew all about kayaks but needed a financial partner ... he was the money man).  He walked us around his truck with the camper on back.  I call it a camper ... it was a cover.  Let me look up what those things are called. Okay - definitely not called camper.  Apparently that implies a sleeper or kitchenette ... . His truck had a cover

almost exactly like this.  And he opened it up to show us the paddles that he prefers.  The over the top OCD style packing inside was perfection.  I somehow resisted the urge to survey my husband's face.  He is more of a chunk and dunk style of packer (yeah, that's what I really think.  He did say it was impressive when I asked him about it several days later.)  Longish story to say, this guy seemed to find it very important to communicate that he was a person of means.  I mean, he said they had been living out of the truck for eight months.  It seemed incredible important to him let us know that his lifestyle is an adventure of choice (and he is not some homeless beach bum).  Why would it be important to tell a couple of strangers that you're the money man in a business, that your art collection is in temperature controlled storage along with your other sixty surf boards, etc.?  He shared excellent advice on the kayak question.  He was generous with his time. I think he might have felt somewhat "naked".

I admire a person who will, when they are able to do so responsibly, explore possibilities.  I think it's neat that people ... sorta and only sometimes, have an opportunity closer to the end of life to see who they have become.  I think how we spend our time (at the time we begin to realize that time runs out) is a demonstration of what we value.