I have been in a funky place with respect to social media lately. I am not sure what my groove is or needs to be. But I do know this, it has been a joy to linger over my facebook memories lately. There is alot of family history recorded there that otherwise I would have forgotten much of.
I have tried a dozen ways of tackling the way I want to show up in the world. None seem to stick. Most eventually feel like a form of pressure. Maybe keeping a true “we-b log” is what I need. Logging what I want to remember and not worrying who else likes it or wants to read it. That feels more free.
So without further ado…..the 13th effort to try and have a way of showing up in the world.
What I Want to Remember……
Russ and I went to Jamaica last week. This was our first ever hot holiday at an all inclusive resort. We paid for it with Mastercard Points. Thank you Credit Union!!!
We loved Janaica, the resort, the people, the experience. I want to remember….
-How well we slept there. Russ slept 11 hours in a row one night, I didn’t know that was possible.
-The people…..we felt so taken care of by the staff and so enjoyed a sense of friendship that grew as the days passed. Russ bonded especially strongly with the woman who cleaned in and near the pool bathroom. She enquired of him, after his 4th trip there in a few hours, “are you okay?” (Russ really enjoyed the red stripe beer!) That started a truly caring bond that had Russ saying to me “I miss Latisha” while we were enroute home.
-We have had three nights at home and each one of them I woke up thinking I was in our bed at the resort. I believe I am having a hard time leaving it behind.
-Russ and I had time to be pals in the good old sense of the word. It was alot like childhood…..no worries and having a playmate always ready to scheme with, “what do we want to do next?” I think I loved reading our books together the best and then our time soaking up sun in the pool. I really loved that we both seemed to enjoy lingering by the sea or pool after others called it a day. That end of day calm and anticipation of a great meal was powerful for me.
-I had fun trying cocktails I would never have ordered at home. I am too cheap! (A glass of beer or refillable pop lasts longer than a cocktail is how I reason it out.) I think Purple Rain was my favorite with “Romeo’s Special” a close second.
-I loved living in my bathing suit and became committed to the two piece style. There was a time when I would NEVER have been seen in a 2 piece. The era of body positivity meant I arrived there with 2 2 piece suits, and the example of women around me inspired me to relax while wearing them.
-I loved the food and restaurant scene at our restaurant. In the course of 6 days we ate goat, lamb, lobster, shrimp, crab, cod, brown fish, and of course beef, pork and chicken. The chocolate milk was delicious and the crepe station alot of fun for me.
-The coffee was excellent and we discovered at the 24 hour coffee shop that we could have Jamaican Rum Cream added to our cup. Delicious hot or cold! (Especially good right after breakfast Russ says!)
-I want to remember a woman Russ urged me to go sit with when he found her in tears. I resisted. There was no way he would leave her without the message, “we see you hurting.” He thought it would seem creepy if he approached her. So I went. She had received bad news from family in Iran. That had an impact on us. Later that day I was reading a book by Debie Thomas. She said, “for a long time it was all the craze to ask “WWJD – what would Jesus do?” She pondered, what if we ask, “what would Jesus see?” I knew that Russ letting himself be so moved by her pain was him seeing what Jesus sees.
-I want to remember the times I made Russell shake his head at me. Like when I insisted on pulling a shaped chair into the pool from the shallow water area where it sat, because I just KNEW that it floated. It didn’t float. To his credit Russell was valiantly at my side as the chair took on water and started to sink. Together we wrestled its ungainly length and got it returned to its shallow water ledge. There were elements of the Titanic being played out in those moments and a few bystanders getting some amusement. Another time Russ was chagrined with me was when I told him, looking out at the Carribean Sea, that something could be seen “just at the tree line.” He replied “the tree line Kathy?!?” It was ocean as far as we could see. I don’t know what I was seeing/thinking. That line came back to haunt me many times.
-Our trip from Montego Bay Airport and back again meant fun visits with our drivers and exposure to driving conditions like I have never seen. Wow. Narrow, fast moving and lots of big potholes with life happening right beside the road meant exciting trips.
-I want to remember how on the airplane home we sat beside our most favorite seat mate ever. It was on the leg from Montego Bay back to Toronto. He was a lovely lovely human being. Future seat mates will have a lot to do to live up to the standard set by Glenroy.
-Most resort goers that we met were friendly and often quite unique. Russ wore memorable shirts that stood out, people commented on his hat and in the evening his cowboy boots. I think this made it easy for people to strike up conversation with him. We met alot of Canadians. I started the week feeling like, “oh no, Russell is striking up conversation with a stranger….again ” (He says he tried not to.) I want to remember that by the end of the week I was almost keeping up to him. I was happy to see that side of myself coming alive.
-I want to remember playing dominoes with Gracee, a lawyer from Texas, her husband Dane and Romaine, a resort staff person. Russ and I were meant to be a team but it was only Russ who really wanted to play. Gracee called us Pop and Mumma and folded us right into the action, Dane was cutthroat and won. Russ was proud to bring home the bronze medal for Canada.
-I want to remember my enjoyment of my Canadian themed pedicure I got in Carnduff before heading off. A few people there admired it. Russ pointed out, in a friendly way, his boots got way more compliments.
-I want to remember the feelings in the air as I got a call from Morgan inviting me to look on one of the security cameras on my phone. I was slightly shocked to find our first calf had been born. I went to find Russell who had been to the bathroom and had just finished another chat with Latisha. I made the announcement. The mother was our cow named “Canada.” This was a very unexpected development and the excitement of it was matched by unease about why we were having a calf early. It turned out the calf was premature and despite Morgan’s strong efforts it didn’t live.
I am so thankful for this opportunity and the health to embrace it. I am thankful to have the chance to record memories.
As Far As The Eye Can See 