Happy Trails

“Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.

It’s the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here’s a happy one for you.”

So begins the wonderful old song by Roy Rogers.

I found myself yesterday on a new trail with some amazing friends and I couldn’t have been happier.

As days go, some would argue that it was a bit on the chilly side for Florida and others would wonder where the blue sky went, but it was a perfect day for exploring a trail and in the company of good friends, I found myself exploring mushrooms, marveling at moss, following leaves, and picking “stickies” off my hoodie.

Inna and Jax sifted through river silt and found amazing fossilized sharks teeth and camel molars and oblivious to the cold water they were in, stayed there for over and hour.

Meanwhile, Kallista and I explored surrounding landscape, climbed fallen trees, and marveled at the scenery around us.

By the time we were finished, they had gathered a bagful of fossils, and me a bagful of memories.

I hope you enjoy the pictures at the end of the blog.

I was left with that song playing around in my head as a blog thought for this morning. And more significantly the thought that it isn’t so much the trail you are on, sometimes, as the people you are sharing it with.

I am truly fortunate that there are enough fools out there that love me and happy to spend such time with me. “May they never get wise” is my mantra these days.

But going through life and occasionally sharing little patches of it with the right people is a true treasure that we should cling to with all our might.

Building memories of time well-spent is a wonderful use of our time on this planet and I like to think that at the final hour when life flashes before our eyes, it is these memories that take pride of place, however we spend our lives.

I can’t imagine anyone having a final thought about their bank account balance, the house they live in, the car they drive, or their job title at work.

What I hope my final thoughts are is the collection of memories I have been fortunate enough to hold onto of the people that I love and the moments we have shared together.

… just a thought!