life lessons

Nine Lives Countdown…A Career Not Meant For Me…Part One

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During the time adolescence turns to adulthood, dreams become prevalent about what profession might bring both satisfaction and large earnings. When I was in college, in the early 70’s, the time between semesters brought a couple of jobs I had randomly acquired. These soon fell off the list of things I’d choose for future careers.

I will be the first to admit that I am someone who has been described as accident prone. I have been getting injured since clumsy toddler-hood (check my mother’s entries in my baby book) and have not had a respite from damaging my body since.

Despite all the signals, I still found myself working a construction job building a bridge in southern Vermont. The job had a variety of risky tasks to perform working toward its completion. Safety rules were not as diligently observed then as they are now. The owner of the construction company decided to recycle the steel beams that spanned Continue reading →

First Solo Driving Experience… Not Good.

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I’ve decided to move up to my adolescent years for this post, and tell the story about my first solo driving experience. I was, of course, 16 years of age and had successfully completed my driving test in Vermont at the DMV in Springfield. The vehicle I used was a CJ -5 canvas top Willys Jeep. The color was a kind of emerald green and the windows around the perimeter were canvas framed sheets of plastic. My father had removed them so I could have maximum visibility and add to my chances of passing the road test. Starting and stopping on a hill was one of the most difficult

Continue reading →

Putting Meat On The Table

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For many people it’s hard to recall the first time they encountered the concept of death. I suppose usually it is the loss of a family pet. For me it was the shocking reality of the loss of a young bull we were raising for meat, but I had begun to think of as a pet. I was barely 3 years old. My folks had no money to speak of, and we were apparently poor, but being as young as I was, I wasn’t really aware of this fact. Continue reading →

Poem, Dreams and Greens…

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greendreams

Decades have no sense of passing,

They blend like olive oil in salad dressing.

Some sinks and spends very little time,

Saturating into the leaves.

Flavors of life depend on who is tasting.

Life is much time spent breathing the aromas,

And contemplating its placement in the meal.

With the decades come love and memories,

Making new life out of happiness.

Making love and dreams out of being in love.

Searches that went nowhere,

Following maps with no destination.

We arrived here today,

Together, never really alone.

Taking decades, waiting without knowing,

When today would be,

Because it was always tomorrow till now.

Fresh greens and the new fragrance,

Of gently crushed peppercorns.

Spice and life blended to perfection.

 

© Rick Wyman

Present Moment

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cloudbeherenow

When writing a blog that often consists of episodes of my childhood, I find that I have difficulty staying in the present moment.  Many sources of psychological health say it is better for us to enjoy our lives if we stay in the present moment, rather than worry about our expectations for the future or dwell on negative events of the past such as divorce, loss of home and money, or injury from accidents etc.  Whatever the influence for the thought, it’s a drag on our ability to enjoy the day we are currently living in and can cause such a distraction that our present moment slips by unnoticed or passes us by without Continue reading →

Friendship, A Poem

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Friendship,

Truth and real feelings,

Where the handshake and hug blend together.

My life and our lives

Become more than silhouettes in separate shadows.

Dreams offer more to awaken to,

And feelings have sound with more than visions.

Who knows where to look for friendship.

It is not in places we have searched,

But comes to us from behind faces

And from within the looks that eyes return to our own.

Friendship, will not build its foundation on jealousy,

Nor will it compete to gain advantage over a friend.

Sharing and filling from the same spring.

Friends tip their glasses to lips

That speak of happiness for one another.

Rick Wyman©

FriendshipFlowers

A Rough Ride…Heed Mom’s Warning

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DeanFarmRoad

Parents are full of advice as their child grows. My mother was full of advice, and full of superstition and scare tactics. She had a variety of fears and she wanted me to adopt them. She was well meaning and often the lessons were valid, but sometimes it would have been good to add a few exceptions to the rules.

One of the things she told me time and time again was that if I ever got into a stranger’s car I’d never be seen again, and Continue reading →

Billy Goat for Music

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BillyGoatForMusic

Over the course of my youth I had a variety of pets, some cats and dogs which were all very meaningful to me.  One pet in particular stands out as more memorable and unusual than the others. I had a Billy Goat. A rather large pet with an ornery disposition. Very often I would stand up petting the goat and before long, I’d be on the ground with Continue reading →