pack up the car

...

It's Friday! It's Aloha Friday!

This week's question:

If you were to take a road trip, where would you go?

I ask because we might be taking a road trip next week. As of this writing, our original vacation plans have not worked out and we're considering going to plan, um... C, which is a road trip. But we're not sure where to go. Some of the places we're considering are Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, or Mesa Verde - all beautiful National Parks.

Our kids grew up loving road trips due to how many trips we made between here and California to visit family. They say they still enjoy road trips but I think it would be different now. They are older, thus bigger and neither one of our vehicles is very large, thus it wouldn't be as comfortable. So, plan C may be scrapped. We'll be figuring it all out today. Stay tuned.

Kailani, of An Island Life, hosts Aloha Friday each week.

favorite peaceful place

I recently came across something that I thought would be fun plus it keeps in line with the purpose of my blog; to record my personal history. Every Thursday, Lola from Lola's Diner hosts If I Could Blog Back Time. Each week she gives us a different topic to reflect on and share our memories through a blog post.


This week's topic is: Favorite Peaceful Place
What are some of your favorite outdoor places to go where your spirit is lifted and the rest of the world doesn't matter? Where life stands still and you feel at peace?

Growing up, I moved quite frequently, which meant I never had close friends. To compensate for this, I always made or found a place that I could go to be all by myself, with my own thoughts and imagination. I remember times when I would need to be by myself to escape reality, whether that meant my parents, my siblings, school, or school mates. I'm not sure I would describe the result of these times as one where my spirit was lifted, but I know I could shut out everything to the point where the world didn't matter. I did feel at peace.

Out of all these places of my childhood, the one I would have to say was my favorite was the rooftop of our garage where I lived when I was in sixth grade. I only lived there for a year and in some ways, it was a difficult year. I would climb a tree (it was either an apricot or peach) that stood next to the garage. Once I got high enough, I could step onto the roof. I could walk all around the roof, and usually did. From that vantage point, I could look into neighbor's yards and watch the cars go by on the nearby freeway. Most of the time I would just sit and be. The roof was my refuge.

There was one other place that came to mind while reflecting on this particular topic. From sixth grade on, I lived in a city near the beach. Once I was old enough to drive, I often drove down to a specific beach and park on the street overlooking the water. I could sit there in my car or on one of the many benches and watch the water, the birds, and the people engaged in their "beachy" activities like surfing, flying kites or rollerblading. I mainly went there when I needed to think and figure something out. Being at or near the beach always lifts my spirits and will always be a popular refuge.

the best job in the world

...
POSITION: Mom

JOB DESCRIPTION:

• Long term, team players needed, for challenging, permanent work in an often chaotic environment.
• Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
• Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities.
• Travel expenses not reimbursed.
• Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The rest of your life...

• Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
• Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
• Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
• Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
• Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
• Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
• Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
• Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
• Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
• Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
• Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:

None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:

None required unfortunately.
On-the-job-training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:

You pay them!

• Offering frequent raises an bonuses.
• A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.
• When you die, you give them whatever is left.

The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life, if you play your cards right.

** AND A FOOTNOTE: THERE IS NO RETIREMENT .... EVER!!!!

When I saw this, I thought of my daughter, Danielle. She's 21 and has had nanny type jobs for the past three summers. The more she handles this type of responsibility and the more she understands what her mother and father have done for her, she questions why anyone would want to be a mother (or father).

I tell her that she won't quite understand it fully until she, herself, is a mother. I try to explain that a child brings more joy than hardship; that they are gifts from God and bless the lives of his or her parents and when the time is right, she will want a child. She's not so sure.

And for me... I'm glad there's no retirement.