How Lucky We Are

I love Fridays.

In the Advancement Office where I work, we close our doors at noon so I have an entire afternoon to prepare for the weekend. Typically I clean the house but this particular Friday I had an appointment for a massage in Fort Worth.

My friend Shirley is getting her massage therapy license and part of that process includes clinicals -- which translates into, free massages for Shirley's friends!

And so, she called me a few weeks ago to schedule a free massage.

Why of course I'll come in for a massage! That sounds like a beautiful thing!

I eagerly anticipated this day for weeks as it has been quite some time since I had a massage. I can't even remember the last time actually. I think it was when we lived in Missouri. The time before that was when we lived in California. My friend Jacque bought a massage for Roy as a congratulations for job well done on something -- a bike ride maybe?? -- but the lady who was giving the massage was a friend of Jacque's. Jacque brought her over one time before this scheduled massage and this friend had no qualms about showing her interest in Roy. We drove somewhere and she immediately sat herself in the front seat next to Roy, flirting the entire drive, resulting in me sitting in the back, fuming...

And that was it for me. I ended up with the free massage rather than Roy.

Thanks Jacque!

Anyway, a couple of days before this past Friday, the massage school called to give me directions to the school in Fort Worth and to give me some specifics about everything. I wrote down the detailed information -- in an old school manner as the girl failed to give me the actual address...and I failed to ask for it.

So, I left in plenty of time on Friday to arrive for my 12:15 appointment...only to drive and drive and drive...never seeing my exit. Finally, at 12:30, I called Shirley: Where is this exit?

I was given the wrong directions: the girl on the phone said take 20W rather than 20E.

...sigh...

By the time I finally arrived, it was 12:45 and the school informed Shirley that I missed my appointment.

And so I headed home, wallowing in disappointment.

Yesterday evening, Tami and Chas came over. We hung out on our porch, watching the sun go down as hues of reds lit up the sky in a brilliant sunset.

"Let's go check out the property," I said to Tami shortly after Roy and Chas walked over to check out the foundation of the Lewis home that is scheduled to be poured on Monday.

And so we walked out to the back two acres, my half grown kitten Sadie following along like a dog. Those two acres back there are largely overgrown with tall grass, wildflowers, brush, and weeds, but we managed to count nine peach trees, laden with miniature peaches, and a couple of pear trees ready to produce as well. Of course, the fruit won't be salvaged this year as we didn't do any preparatory work on them; but we are hoping to prune them this fall and do some research so that next summer we can dream on the porch, peach juice running down our chins.

And then we walked back to the Lewis home, Sadie chasing a defenseless rabbit for a few seconds until I yelled at her and she actually stopped.

It was probably a coincidence...

We scoped out the Lewis porch and turned north, checking out the view that they will have from their own porch someday soon.

"I really like this property," Tami said. "I like it a lot."

Yeah. Me too.

How lucky we are ...

...to live on our own little piece of paradise, on the outskirts of Keene, in the country where coyotes howl at night, where night is black as midnight and stars burst through the darkness.

... even when frustrations color our days.

...even when disappointments color our vision.

...even when life is complicated and difficult.

How lucky we are.