Tuesday, February 11, 2020

A few thoughts from today 200211

      I never know what will pop up when I sit down and start musing during the day.



      During my navy time I heard a lot of things when I was just a lad nearly 60 years ago. One I remember was a petty officer when we were in port asking the shop chief if he could have the day off. The chief asked why and he said: "well my wife said she was going to get pregnant today and I thought I wanted to be there for that." He got the day off from work.

      Another thing heard back in those days was an old chief talking about a guy in the outfit and he said: "Oh he's alright, he just shits a little close to the house." I never understood that back then and I still don't today.

      I have heard many times that people always like the music they heard when they were teenagers best of all. I have a difficult time with that because I like the music of the early forties better than anything since and that music was well before I was born. Some of the songs I like are; "We'll meet again" and all of the big bands era.

      One of my favorite compositions that I think about every day is this one below:

‘The River of Life’

I go down river seeking answers
But the answers aren’t always the ones I want to hear
So I seek more answers

The river is so strange
By the time I begin to understand
It’s altered and I no longer comprehend it

I hate to change
But change is the only constant on the river
No matter how staunch I am she transforms me

The river of life flows ever onward
I am but a twig on the river
I don’t change the course of the river the river changes me

The river never ends
But I will
Rivers endure people don’t

I can change the banks for a time
I can leave them alone
The river will always return to its true nature

Sometimes a rock will deflect me
Forcing me to revise my direction
But sooner or later I return to the river

To purposely deviate from the flow
Only complicates and delays
The journey I must make to complete my purpose

If I seem adrift in a marsh
There’s no need to worry
Perhaps I’m just resting on my way down river

Maybe I’m there
Just to spend a moment with you
On my way down river


      Today I was thinking back to the days on the farm when Joyce and I worked at jobs in town and then after we finished our 9-5 jobs we worked on the farm until daylight was gone. We worked from sunup to dark 7 days a week. Now we are lucky to still be going after 3-4 hours of activity. Sometimes when the sheep were giving birth we stayed up through the night to ensure that the lambs got up and were able to nurse. More than a few times I had to reach up into a ewe to help her to deliver and on frosty nights we brought newborn lambs into the house and soaked them in lukewarm water to revive them and save their lives. That also took the scent of the ewe off the lamb so I had to milk the ewe to feed the lamb to get her scent back on the lamb so she would accept the lamb and allow it to nurse. Sheep are not the smartest critters in the animal kingdom, or perhaps they are; I can't say.

      One thing I am beginning to realize is that life is short and we need to enjoy the time we have on earth. That said, I recommend to anyone not to have those in your life that bring you down whenever they are around. They are not worth it. As my friend Bill T. used to say, "don't let anyone live in your head rent free." Think about that for a bit and it makes sense."

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