Journeys

Journeys was Originally Posted on October 17, 2004 by

The casual reader here may not see the irony in some of my posts. Even readers who hang on every word (and if there are such readers, they REALLY need to get a life), but even continuous readers may not know what powers this blog.

Years ago (too many to remember) I was a disc jockey. At that time I thought I would be a DJ forever. I was in college at the time, young and impressionable :D I had ideals but no goals. I had talents but no direction. So in the ensuing years I went through a number of jobs, any one of which might have been a career. They included DJ, building satellite TV receivers, testing anti-bue box telephone equipment. I have worked in construction, house wiring, built a television station and kept inventory in a manufacturing facility. I have created software programs and managed servers and mainframes around the country and kept watch over a computer room the size of a football field (a US football field that is, for my foreign readers). Now I am beginning a journey as a coffee farmer.

What a wild ride it has been so far, and it continues.

Back to the blog. I said that these blogs start out heading one direction and sometimes take a sharp turn. It is a lot like life. We start out headed one way and something comes along and off we go. SO why is this blog called “Journeys”? It just seems to fit. This time I actually came up with the title BEFORE I started. Most times I create the title when I am done. Sometimes I start the blog, wind my way through it, stop when I run out of time or words and then tie the thoughts together with a title. There is little “art or science” to what I do where. Many times my blog just keeps the other blogs from bumping into each other!.

When starting this blog I was ready to go make an early dinner. Although I was able to get a great deal on some frozen dinners, I was going to have steak tonight. However, I started getting hungry and finished up some walnut banana bread instead. I’ll have the steak, but it will be a late dinner it appears.

Many times the blog is created like a sitcom (situation comedy) which if you look closely, is generally a few (maybe 3) separate stories wound together. I often take a few ideas together and find a common theme.

The theme “Journeys” will soon become obvious.

Already I have talked about my journey of life.

On our island last week, there was an 87-year-old man with dementia who wandered away from his home. Soon there were neighbors searching for him, an “Amber Alert” of sorts put out by Civil Defense and even yellow search helicopters were on the job. On our island many people know each other and it was hoped that his name and description would bring him home safely in a hurry. That was not to be. The days went by and hopes began to fade. Tears were shed and he was in all of our minds. Oh don’t get me wrong, he DID get home safely, I was talking about him not getting home QUICKLY! It appears that Mr. Miyose has left the house following a beautiful woman, he crossed the yard, a rock wall and lost her in in the adjoining property. So he sat under a mango tree. He sat under a mango tree for a week until he was found and brought home. What could have been a horrible journey ended differently. He started out following a woman and ended up sleeping under a mango tree. See what I mean?

Today on the Big Island is an event known worldwide. The Kona version of the Ironman Race is in full progress as I write this. I went into town for a while and took some photos. Why take photos of a race when I don’t know any of the participants? I don’t know. It is a lot like writing a blog. It is my way of documenting things that I see; things that I feel.

I can’t tell you who won the race because I am not following it that closely. I CAN tell you that there are many people in the race and fall into at least three categories; those who planned and trained every step to get here for this race; those who planned some and “stopped on by” because it seemed like a fun thing to do; and those who are most of the way through the race and have no idea what in the “heck” they are doing here. Wait. Am I talking about the race, or about life in general? :D Take your pick!

As I watched the race I saw people cheering on participants, whether they were friends or strangers. Many participants will stay to the very end and cheer on strangers because these racers have no family or friends here. They are just here for the race; for the journey.

What do the photos show?

Many photos show racers cycling up a hill, down a hill or coming around a corner. Cyclists do that it appears. Those photos (like a blog entry) show what is happening at a spot in time. There is a history to the photo that leads up that moment. It may be interesting, or it might be threads not yet entwined. It is a slice of time.

Another photo shows the text on the backs of matching t-shirts. It says “Paul’s brother-in-law”; another says “Paul’s wife”. Paul’s whole family appears to be here :D

Some photos show the strain of the athletes. Cycling up hill is certainly not an easy task, but these are Iron Men and Women. They have trained hard for the event. They will swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles with the wind in your face and run 26.2 miles. Some are here to win. Some are here to race. All are here for the experience.

So there you have it, “Journeys”. A look at the journeys and twists and turns life takes. I knew in advance that this blog would be called “Journeys”. I had it all in mind. It was the best title for today’s blog. The one I thought about before I wrote it. You see, I had the title in mind early this morning. Early this morning before I knew what the day would involve. Before I saw the race or read the the man had been found.

“Journeys”, a perfect name for a blog written on this, my birthday! My life to has been a journey and although it has taken many twists and turns along the way, like the photo of the athlete caught in a moment, you have now shared a part of my journey and I appreciate it.

An the journey continues…. :D