Carrying Memories of Old Friends

A More Common Occurrence These Days

Date	Dec 21, 2023  (Thursday)
Total This Camino:	0 miles.
Total 2024 Caminos:	0 miles
Total All Caminos:	2000 miles
Planes:	$ 1300
Total Planes / Travel Insurance:	$ 1470

Meaningful Moment

The other day I received an email that another person of significance to my life had crossed the final bridge.

I don't know how to phrase it. It brought both a smile and a regret to the fore. I smiled because I instantly remembered the best of the person, and regret because I realized that I will not build another common memory with them.

In the last twelve months, I have attended four memorial services for U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary members with whom I served. (Mike B, John B, Bob C & now Ann P). These were good people who graced my life with shared experiences supporting the boating public through Boating Education or direct support through Boatcrew Search & Rescue or camaraderie as a Flotilla Staff Officer & in Leadership positions.

Mike B had a great ear for listening.

John B and I spent a lot of boat time.

Bob C and I and the rest of the Aux 658 crew shared stories and laughs and life while underway in Irondequoit Bay, on Lake Ontario and while conducting safety patrols on the Genesee River.

I remember Ann P's smile and good-nature.

No more.

At the end of the summer, I harshly awoke one morning to a notification that my German Professor at RIT for the past two years had died. 

Ulrika always smiled as I murdered the German language. Once a day as I finished up a convoluted sentence, she would raise two fingers and have them do a 180 degree roll as she said "Verb position". A sure sign that I had grammatically incorrectly - nay wrongly - built a sentence with the right idea, but the words in the wrong position.  

As a example in English to illustrate the point, "John the cat seen had, as it run hiding did." You get the point of the sentence, but it sure sounds odd. She never berated me; just put up the fingers, rolled them and said "Verb position." LOL

No more class time with Ulrika.

The horrible part is the idea that suddenly one can be gone ... selfishly thinking that suddenly I could be gone. 

It is the thought that I had last year in December in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. The weather was turning gnarly ... snow - and that meant ice also. The next stages were steep and the distances long. I felt a sense of fragility regarding what could happen if I fell or whatever in the mountains all by myself. Something I never felt before, not even when I rolled down a mountain in Ireland.

The real bitch of it is that I feel like I'm just bitching and accomplishing nothing in the process.

I shall endeavor to carry my memories of these people with me to Germany, and somehow share my memories of them there. ... I shall try to be better for it.

Random Thought of the Day

Make opportunity out of misfortune.

View misfortune as specific, not universal.

Give myself credit.

A setback is as temporary as I let it be.

Practice positive self-talk.

Recognize that beliefs are not facts.