What are you waiting for?

Today I took advantage of the spring-like weather to take a hike on the Supply Pond trails. I took the time to reflect on the events that have occurred over the past month. Things really hit the fan around home, and I haven't quite been sure of how to take it all in. Last week it was all put back into perspective when a coworker passed away in a car accident.

Tabitha and I started on the same day at UI, and immediately bonded over our sporting endeavors, as she was training for her first triathlon. Over the last two years, she was seemingly always training for some new event, and always raising funds for some charitable group. Just last Friday she had a very successful fundraiser for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. It was hard to imagine someone so full of life gone just like that.

In a lot of ways, it reminded me of Ed's passing. Someone so full of energy and a childlike enjoyment of life shouldn't have been taken from us so soon. We feel robbed. But why? Obviously we mourn the loss of our friend and all the good times we shared. But what was it that made them so special, so different? For Ed, it was the way he always made time for his friends and was willing to try anything. On more than one occasion when I wasn't well, he'd take a "lunch break" and we'd go out for lunch and some duck pin bowling. We'd be gone for hours and he would saunter back into work without a care in the world. My favorite was when he drove up to New Hampshire for lunch with friends, and then back, again on a "lunch break". Spending time with Ed was equal parts laughing until it hurt and cringing while you waited for security to escort you out. His motto was "What's the worst they can do, throw me out?"

The way he treated his family and friends was truly special. While he never got to meet the MINI group in England, he spoke frequently with them online, and on one of their large events arranged to pay for a round of drinks at a stop on their route. If I ever posted anything that indicated I was stressed or upset, there was always a phone call and a heart-to-heart over ice cream at Mortensen's. His children were wonderful people, a testament to the quality time he spent with them. When he was suddenly gone, there was a gaping hole in my and many other's hearts. The one bit of solace I had was that he lived without regrets. It was at that time I decided to honor his spirit by living as he did.

So many of us get wrapped up in our lives and set things aside for some special time. But what if that time never comes? Do you want to look back on a lifetime of things you wish you'd done? The first question everyone asks when I announce my next destination is "Why?" I say "Why not?" The worst that happens is I go through a few days somewhere I'm not fond of. But it's also supplied me with a wealth of happy memories, great stories, amazing sights, and lifelong friends. I couldn't imagine living any other way. However, this week reminded me yet again that I still need to do more. I'm probably more guilty than most of getting wrapped up with work, be it my desk job, N'oap, or the pizza cart. I don't spend enough time doing the things I truly enjoy, and certainly not enough time with my friends. It's so easy to say "We have to get together soon", but what needs to be done is to set a day and just do it. Grab a coffee, go for a walk, invite them to dinner, it doesn't matter, just do it. And then before you leave, pick a day to do it again. We make dates with our hairdressers, doctors, dentists; why not our friends?

So get out there and start living! Really living. Go try something new. Take that trip you've been thinking of. Try a new restaurant. Visit a new park. And spend time with the people dearest to you.


Even with such heavy thoughts on my mind, it was hard not to feel the joy of spring. Maybe recent events made me appreciate it all the more. Hiking through the trails was rejuvenating . Everywhere were the signs of new life. A butterfly sunning its wings. New greens sprouting from the ground. And the frogs. The deafening frogs. At one point as I walked along, I heard a din over my music. When I took my headphones out, I realized it was the sound of hundreds of frogs calling to each other. Also to be seen all around were the marks of storm Sandy. The main trails had been cleared, but some of the outer ones required climbing over trees. One of the bridges had clearly been damaged and was a bit askew. It was still wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun and think of all the happy memories I'll create outdoors this summer.

It was warm enough for the snakes to come out

Sandy left her mark everywhere