It may have been a hot and humid start to the day but undeterred, by 7:30 we found ourselves driving in the entrance of Circle B. It was already 80 degrees and within a few minutes of walking, the outer body of my camera lens had condensed water from the air like you wouldn’t believe.
It was actually dripping on my hand.
Adding insult to injury, they had closed two of the trails that we normally take because it was mating season and the alligators presented too much danger to Joe Public.
But we didn’t care. The half trail that was open down as far as Lake Hancock had more than enough attraction for us and every chance of seeing several of the creatures that we always watch out for on such adventures.
There was a plethora of osprey, several egrets, and a handful of herons not to mention the sparkling gator forms that broke the surface of the warm lake waters in a gentle reminder that this was not a lake for swimming in.
We had a great time and though slightly muted in number, still managed to get some decent pics which I have attached at the end of this blog.
By the time we made it back to the car, we resembled a couple of melted wax figures and were glad of the air conditioning when the car kicked it into circulation.
It did make me pause for a moment and reflect on how anyone in their sane mind could have lived in Florida a couple of hundred years ago, or almost anywhere in the US during the summer months, for that matter.
But the more significant thought was how happy I was to be living here in this day and age and the purpose it has given my life.
Truth be told, I have several purposes in life but when you are taking a beating and feel really low in how life is roughing you up, finding purpose in the natural world that Florida places on my doorstep is revitalizing and restoring.
And therein lies the thought for today’s blog.
You see, we often lose track of what is important to us, what value we bring, and what our lives are all about. We take such a beating with issues to where we forget what the “good” parts of our lives are about. It is all-consuming to get lost in dealing with life’s issues and they cloud our view on the rest of our lives.
For my part, when life plays its little games with me, I put the camera to one side and let the trails go cold, all while I chase a solution to whatever ills me at that moment.
But it is important and I would argue important at all times, to remind ourselves what is important to us in our lives and make sure we are recognizing it as such. Recognizing the importance allows us to prioritize it and make sure that regardless of what else is happening, that it does not fall entirely by the wayside.
Yes, there are times when “all hands to the pumps” requires us to do what needs to be done rather than what we want to do. This is just a fact of life. But when we find ourselves doing only that which needs to be done and doing so for a sustained period of time, our lives can lose their purpose.
Whatever life’s purpose turns out to be for each of us, this is where we count the final score in how we have lived our lives. The rest is just a distraction and certainly not what we value in our final tabulation of the life we have led.
I know that I often refer to end of life, lying in our deathbed, or drawing our terminal breath. And I don’t do so from a morbid perspective, only trying to show that there is a finite line in our life and the most accurate measure of our life occurs at that moment when we cross the line.
To have crossed that line having fulfilled our purpose is a huge bonus as regrets don’t translate well once we reach that final destination.
… just a thought!
