Lessons I learned today

I have often said that a day is a waste of time if you do not learn something new. Today, I think I earned a college degree. Today, I learned a few things. I learned a little about history. I learned about the definition of a true friend. Most importantly, today, I learned a lot about me.

My job sometimes involves waiting around for people. I have dead time that needs killing. Redundant, don’t you think? Today was such a day. I spent a couple of hours in Plymouth, Mass. Some of you folks may remember, Plymouth is where history tells us the Pilgrims landed. Just as I did in grade school, I went to see the Plymouth Rock Memorial (a memorial for an inanimate object?). I strolled through the Pilgrim Memorial Park. I saw the Mayflower II, supposedly an exact replica of the original Mayflower that sailed for 66 days across the Atlantic Ocean some 389 years ago (That was some of the history I learned).

A nearby sign says that 33 men sailed the Mayflower. It does not mention how many women and children were on the ship. While I was there, about 40 tourists got on the ship. They could barely move. I started thinking about the lack of space that ship had. I figured that there had to have been at least 60 people on the ship, plus crates of supplies and water. Talk about panic/anxiety attacks! If I get a little antsy, I can get in my car and take a ride. When you are in the middle of an ocean, you have no such luxury.

As I left the ship site, I saw two young men, maybe early 20’s, plugging in their cell phones to an outside electrical outlet at one of the businesses. As I walked by, I chuckled. The two looked at me with puzzled expressions (I get that a lot). I remarked that the people who sailed on that ship would not even hear about electricity for at least two hundred more years, yet we worry about being able to charge up our cell phones. The more I thought about how tough those early settlers had it, the angrier I got at myself for all the times I felt self-pity when things did not go exactly my way. For the first time in a very long time, I was ashamed of myself. How humbling.

Now, with all this newfound perspective on my life, I took a walk. There are two problems with walking when you have something on your mind; first, you do not realize where you are going, and second, you do not know if you have the stamina to get back to where you started. Somehow, I ended up on the breakwater the goes out into Plymouth Harbor a considerable distance. Constructed out of boulders, you need to pay attention to every step or you will break an ankle quickly. Before I knew it, I was at the end. As I stared out over the calm waters, I felt all the little cares, the aggravations, the self-pity, just drift away like a piece of driftwood. I had found contentment.

As I walked back to my car, I learned another thing about myself; apparently, I can perform strenuous exercise without dying, despite feelings to the contrary. Maybe I will start a more vigorous exercise regimen. Make that, maybe I will start an exercise regimen. On the way back, I saw some things I missed on the way out.

I saw this little skiff tied up to a dock. It is about 12-14 feet, and quite old. The owner however, displayed quite a sense of humor in the way he decorated it: he made it into a miniature pirate ship. Pretty cool, huh? Another realization struck me: with all the violence and hate in the world today, humor is alive and well. I think we all need to keep that in mind, because, when we lose our ability to laugh, we lose our ability to enjoy the best things in life. Things like friends. I lost sight of that briefly, and I did something that irked a very dear friend.

As usual, in my haste, I did something that I should not have. Now, I could have talked the issue over first, but chose to act first and that was just stupid on my part. Against any type of logical thinking, my friend forgave me without an apology. An amazing person indeed. The experience taught me something about real friends; no matter how bad, or how stupid, or how selfish you may act, a real friend will always be there with open arms to forgive you, even if you do not deserve it.

I did come across one thing though that has had me perplexed beyond belief. At one point, I sat on a bench and found myself watching the seagulls. I admired their freedom. If they don't like where they are, a few wing flaps and they're gone. No driver's license, car registration or insurance, plane or train tickets, reservations, nothing. They just up and go. Wow. Then a question popped into my head, and I can't get it out. Maybe you can help me. My question is: How do seagulls walk? Their bodies are just way too disproportionate to their legs. How the hell do they keep their balance? If anyone knows, please tell me. I just can't make it work in my mind. It's something I want to learn.

A day is a waste if you do not learn something new. I received one hell of an education today. Today was a very good day. I hope for many more good days in the future, not just for me, but for all of us. Take care friends.