The "Art of Not Expecting"

I often talk about my former workaday life, and how my life today differs so much from it.  I was thinking this morning (yes I do that sometimes) how many expectations I placed on vacation time back then.  Of course, that was a direct result of trying to make every second of every vacation day memorable, and packed full of activity.  The result, in advance of the actual vacation, was extremely high expectations of not only the trip to and from the vacation destination, but of the actual vacation destination itself.  As one might imagine, this left me open to occasional disappointment......sometimes major disappointment as my best laid plans come off the proverbial tracks.

One of the most valuable benefits of this nomadic life is learning the "art of not expecting".......we are learning to just experience "what is" as it comes our way each day.  Not expecting allows you to enjoy the simple pleasures of life......walking to "work" along a woodland trail.....watching the sun set.......often.  You begin to realize that "life" is coming at you more slowly.....you relish the simple pleasure of standing on an ocean bluff, face into the wind, smelling the soporific salty ocean air, watching as waves break across rocky promontories in the ocean below....losing track of time itself.  You become more aware of the people in your life at any given time......what makes them tick, when they need a hug, when you need a hug.......when you just need to listen.  A more subtle awareness of the ebb and flow of life itself begins to pervade your being.  That is not just the magic of the nomadic life, but also the magic of this place called Cape Blanco.

Walking the Cape Trail to "work"

A rare "t-shirt day" at the Greeting Center

When you are not in a rush you have time to meet new people and listen to their interesting stories.  These folks lived just a few miles from here in October of 1962 when the Columbus Day storm hit this area.......there were sustained winds of over 150 mph, with gusts up to 184!  I talked with Art (on the right) for about 20 minutes about their experiences during that storm.  It's one thing to read about something like this, but to look into their eyes as they relate their experiences you can see it feels like it just happened to them yesterday.

Years ago a volunteer, just like us, painted this mural on the wall inside the "Greeting Center".  Each lighthouse along the southern coast of Oregon is depicted.  We have seen most of these lighthouses over the years, and the depictions are very accurate!

We finished our "bottom shift" at 1 pm, and were home by 1:25 where I promptly sat down and took a nap......there is something about the salt air of the ocean that makes me sleepy!  Around 3 I wandered out the trailer to finish working on Angie and Gary's beach cruisers......her bike needed a new rear tire installed, and the bottom bracket tightened up. Gary's just needed a basic tuneup.  Nevertheless, 3 hours just seemed to melt away, and suddenly it was after 6 pm.

Around 7 we walked down to the "phone booth" to watch the sunset one more time, and were treated to a wonderful sunset.  Chris and Cherie had arrived just a few minutes before us.....I have lost track of the number of sunsets we have shared with Chris and Cherie over the past 30 months since we first met them in Cedar Key, but it is a large number.

Chris and Cherie

I almost forgot to mention that while I was finishing up Angie and Gary's bikes Paul and Nina arrived at the trailer door bearing gifts........Paul presented me with a box of mostly 22 ounce bottles of local micro brews (all Stouts and Porters) as a "thank you" for the work I had done on their bikes.  These are the kinds of things that just make my day!

Thank you Paul and Nina....I saw this beer in the 

store the other day and wanted to try it!

Another wonderful day lived "not expecting"......thanks for stopping by!