Well Well

February 9, 2014

Where in my life do I have one foot on the gas and the other on the brake. It appears my philosophy is to gas, gas, gas and then brake, gas, turn and brake, make a U turn and California stop at the light and veer right. Once I make a decision, I usually never go back. If I am headed down a path and run into a road block, I become desperate to find a way through versus turning around and going back the way I came. Biking down the coast from Astoria to San Luis Obispo quite a number of years ago is case in point. During the summer, a season of road construction, I despised having to turn around, head back up hills, due to a dead end in the pavement.

Heading to the Black Sand Beach in Brasil, my daughter, boyfriend, and his son were following a path that had been washed-out by a flood. I was convinced we could push through the tall grass and come out safely on the other side. I dropped four feet into a massive hole while the rest of the crew stood peering down at me from the ledge and laughed at my silliness. It took me a good while to tramp down the greenery, climb out of the hole and proceed to the shore. We had to turn around, which broke my heart and pride.

Taelor told that story often and with relish. So much so, she believed she was the one who fell a body length into the deep well.