Laugh, think, cry.....

 7:13 am - Friday - January 26th - GNHS - 52° F, humidity 74%, wind 6 mph out of the north by northwest.....partially cloudy today with a forecast high of 69° F.  On this date in 2018 TLE and I were riding the Grand Canyon Railroad with our daughter Meredith who had come to visit us the winter we worked at the General Store at Desert View......

For the first time in a week TLE and I worked.  We had two 1/2 day rentals (4 hours) booked, so we opened the office at 9:00 am to get the two rentals prepped (wiped down, pictures taken, etc.) before our customers began to arrive at 9:30 am.  After all that rain on Monday our RZRs had a lot of water spots on them, and the 2 seat General which went out in that rain storm was still filthy, in spite of Hunter's valiant attempt to clean it when it returned Monday afternoon, so I had to spend a lot time finishing what he began.

Both of our rentals came from offsite once again, and both came from the Palm Springs area where they were spending the week.  One couple was from Wisconsin.  We got them processed, and on their way a tad after 10 am.  By the way, I had to take the 2 seater down to the fuel station to top off its tank, and found this.....

....around 2" of water in the tub under the elevated fuel storage tank.  Last year it had rained more frequently than this year, but we never had standing water like this 3 days after any of the rain events.

Once our customers were on their way TLE and I took turns taking our 1 mile out and back walks.  I managed to average 3.5 mph again, covering the distance in just over 17 minutes.....

....both of our rentals returned around 2 pm, and the 2 seat General was covered in mud.  TLE and I drove both units down to the fuel station, and then directly back to the wash station where I spent the next 90 minutes blasting caked on mud off each one....the 4 seat RZR wasn't as bad as the General, but they were both quite dirty inside and out.  I didn't clock out until almost 4 pm, by which time I was ready for a long, hot shower.....love that Girard tankless water heater!

Next up was a stint on the 'viewing deck' for some Classic Vinyl music, an adult beverage, and a couple of cigars....a suitable way to end any day in the SoCal desert, workday, or not.  There was some modest cloud cover so the Chocolates didn't quite pop like they usually do, and the sunset was also a little muted, but it was nice, nonetheless, to sit and appreciate another day well lived....

....making an effort to see the day out each day kind of slows down life a little, for me anyway. It gives a man, or woman, time to reflect on the day, and life in general.  A wise man (Jim Valvano) once advised that if you can spend a few minutes each day thinking, laughing, and crying you will live a life with meaning and value.  I've come to believe that sentiment more with each passing sunset.

Here is Jim Valvano's quote in its entirety: "To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."

Sometimes something somebody says just resinates with you, and you never forget it.  This was one of those times for me.

Thank you for stopping by!