I get up this morning to read my e-mails and am immediately angered by someone misinterpretting something that was said. Admittedly I argued with myself as to whether I am splitting hairs or dealing with semantics. Either way, with my feathers ruffled, I wrote several seething e-mails, then deleted them when I realized I wasted my swimming hour steaming over trivial matters.
Being the glutten for punishment that I am, I read another e-mail. This one enthralled me. It was from Deb, my web site creator. After weeks and days and hours of choosing a template she found ones I could live with (except for the ugly yellow on the top banner). More importantly, she complemented the picture I chose of myself. It is the self-portrait shown on my blog home page that I took while sailing SPRAY, my Corsair F28. The reflection of SPRAY shows up in my signature Costa Del Mar sunglasses. Deb's comment, "It often looks like it could be a reflection of the big picture... Kind of gives the message that you've seen a lot of things, and its reflected in your eyes..."
Her statement brought up one of the lasting impressions my mom gave me. During her illness, brought on from 5 years of dialysis treatment and her depression over my dad's untimely death, she scolded me for complaining that I would have to go to work the next morning. "Never complain about having to go to work," she said. "Be thankful you are well enough to keep your job." Mom went on to say, "As you get to my age (she was a month short of 79), your life ahead is short, and your life behind is as if it all happened in one day."
Wow, I thought as I stared into the reflection in my sunglasses, my life ahead is short, way too short to miss my swimming because my feathers are ruffled. After all, once the feathers are immersed in the clean, clear water, they'll smooth out while I drift like a swan through my routine. . .
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