A Weekend With Cheryl.

 I have not seen Cheryl since Thanksgiving of last year.   And other than the occasional weekend phone call,   I have not been in contact with her much.  And, to be honest,  it was mostly due to me dedicating all of my time to school, and basketball, and the occasional robotics events on weekend.    Simply put:  I have not had a lot of disposable time to spend on anything else.   Add in that there have been no races in the area and the weather being rather crappy....  It all adds up to us not spending any time with each other.  

And,  I will admit,   there were moments when I thought we simply would never see each other again.   (Just moments....  Usually when I was feeling a little down.) 

But out of the blue...  She called and asked if she could come up.   Having LOTS of free time and no school on the docket.. I graciously accepted!  

When you hang on to something too tightly,  you are destined to lose it.   And if you let things go...  Sometimes, they find their way back to you.  I'm not sure who first made that quote,  but I am old enough to have seen it come true more times than I care to share.    Perhaps I was hanging onto the Teaching gig a little too tightly.   Perhaps by wanting it too much,  I was sabotaging it in some way that I could not see. And, thankfully,  there were caring people around who showed me it was time to let that chapter of my life go.  

There is always a risk when you let something (or someone) go.   There is the risk you may never get it back.   When we moved to Iowa, we sold or tossed everything that could not fit in the car.  Always with the understanding that we could "Always replace them again, later."    But after 15 years, there are still many things that we never replaced.   While other items were replaced and actually grew!  ( Like my origami Library!)  Proving (to me, at least) that sometimes you have to trim things down to find what you are truly passionate about.

So after 30 years,  I gave Teaching another go.   And it did not work out as I had envisioned.  But now that question that has haunted me for all of those years has finally been answered.  And I will never again question that life path that I was "forced" to take.  I will instead look at it as if it was a blessing from God that spared me a  possible "life of woe."

And who knows how things will turn out with Cheryl.  All I can say is that we spent a lovely weekend together and enjoyed the City of Sheboygan.   And all of the beaches and wildlife  that they had to offer tourists.    Long walks on a cold and windy beach were the highlight of the day.  With miles of sand, surf, and conversation.  And an occasional Sand Hill Crane flyby.

Incidentally,   Northern Wisconsin has beaches much like Western Michigan.   Like:   Singing Sand!  Limited Beach Glass and few rocks.  We walked about 8 miles on Saturday, and found very little to blog about.  Unless you count sore legs and feet as something worthy of the blog. 

But we talked.   And talked and talked.  And although the topics of discussion varied, some of them were deep and important. 

We also explored a few stores and pubs.    Along with the Three Sheep's Brewery.   Too many kids and dogs for my taste. ( And I LOVE dogs!)  So we sampled a flight and did not stay long.   There is something about dogs and kids running around that end up causing a little too much chaos.

It is unfortunate that the weather could not have been a tad bit warmer.  I would have liked to have enjoyed the outdoors without the chilled ears and frozen fingers.  Then again,   those frozen moments outdoors makes the warm indoor moments that much more appreciated.   And there is something fun about curling up under a warm blanket so we can watch Ted Lasso together.  

So now,  I have this week to begin my next "Employment Adventure!"  What should I gravitate towards?   Wisconsin DNR? Teddy Bear Dreams?  Or Underlining Professionals?  We shall see who is the first to respond....  Or make me an offer I shouldn't refuse.   

There is always the big Zebra...   A safe ledge to rest on in a pinch.   And there were plenty of opportunities to grow there.   So I could take this opportunity to seek one of those upgrades and find another adventure into the unknown.   Because every second counts!