What Am I Gonna Be When I Grow Up?

First off, if I haven't grown up by now, chances are it's not going to happen any time soon. And truly I don't want to. I want to nurture and foster a look at life through childlike eyes.

But I have been gifted with the opportunity to do some serious thinking on the subject of how I want to live the rest of my life. After the initial shock that ECCO had reduced my work to two (2) days a week (down from three), I picked myself up off the floor and realized that--challenging as the finances are--this is the perfect chance to explore all my options. And before we go any further, let me say that everyone at ECCO took a hit. The belt had to be tightened, and it was absolutely the right thing to do.

Admittedly my brain works a bit slower than the average bear's, but after a few days, I realized I CAN WRITE once again, ergo this blog.

Suddenly I can begin that book about hiking for seniors that I've cogitated for years. It's not possible that I'm the only person who took up hiking for the first time at 61 years of age. Maybe, just maybe, I can convince other seniors that there's a whole new world out there that you can't see unless you get off your duff and off the highway.

The best part of a hiking hobby is that it's relatively cheap (after the initial outlay for the Ten Essentials, hiking boots, topos, walking sticks, fanny packs and backpacks, etc., etc., etc.), requiring a tank of gas and your time. I'm lucky enough to live close to Yosemite National Park and oodles of other great hiking trails just outside the park's boundaries and a love for getting up before dawn, so the world's my oyster. In addition, when you travel to other areas, there are always trails to tred away from typical tourist places.

All that being said, there are at least two immediate and serious problems.

1. Even though my Silver Saturn gets excellent gas mileage, putting fuel in the vehicle now requires some consideration.

2. Even more serious, my ability to hike has been undermined by my putting on #@ pounds over the last few years. No excuses for that. But could someone please, please, please tell me how to get back on track and get that poundage back off? I originally started walking and hiking as a way to get newly-discovered diabetes under control. The hiking is still a part of my life but health control is a big challenge.

Photography. Don't even get me started on THAT passion, or I won't stop for hours. I discovered a renewed love for pictures after my first cataract surgery in November. Imagine! Colors and lines and patterns and textures appeared out of nowhere. They've probably been around all along, but I began to see them for the first time in years. I couldn't believe what I'd been missing. I grabbed my point-and-shoot and shot everything within sight. Never met a flower I didn't love.

Then I got my Canon Rebel XS.

Whoooohooooo!

At right is a photo of Ellery Lake, at the east gate of Yosemite. My friend Pat and I were lucky to be there at the perfect time to catch the light playing on the water and snow on the peaks. If this isn't a miracle, what is? Our whole journey from Coarsegold through Yosemite up Highway 395 to Pat's condo in Lake Tahoe was filled with glorious images. Hundreds of them.

I celebrate the friendship of someone who let me indulge my oohhhs and ahhhhhs--and took quite a few beautiful snaps of her own.

That's enough for tonight. But I hope you, my friends, will pop in to check out this blog from time to time. After all, more important than any material possession is the magnificent collection of friends I've acquired over the last 66+ years. I love you all.