This
Saturday afternoon, I ask Elaine to help me with straightening up my office,
just to “start” it and assist me to get a handle on it. I have things in piles and drawers that need
some organization. I found my first
digital camera in the bottom of a drawer that was a whopper and when I opened the
battery cast it had corroded because of the old batteries. Just as I raised it up to throw it in the
trash can, I thought I need to check for the memory card. Low and behold, there was an old memory card
in the camera and when I looked at it, they don’t make that size anymore so I
tossed the camera back in the trash. As
I continued to clean out the drawer, I found the adaptor to download the
information on the camera. First the
computer would not recognize the card and I had nothing but trouble but I was
now captivated. After many attempts, I finally
did get it to open and download…
I
was shocked and dumfounded. I found 19
photos and 3 videos which are priceless to me that I never saw. They are 10 years old and it is the only
video I have of it…if I only knew then what I know now…
We all rush around and overlook the things that are really important to us and miss
the things that really matter and I am at the front of the line with this and
if anyone should listen, it needs to be me.
When
I saw the video, I actually gasped and then a tear ran down my cheek and whenever
I watch it, it still happens. Oh how
things have changed…
You
see, the real things are free and nothing or no-one can buy happiness or peace
of mind and if you try, the more you spend the deeper in life’s debit you get. We worry about what others think, we worry
about what they say and what they think of us and what really matters is what
makes us happy and should care less about their concerns and take care of our inner
self. The best vacation we ever took
was a cross country trip for three weeks and it was free except for the gas and
food and we even carried a cooler and ate out of the back seat and it was grand. We saw all the sights and out of the “100
places in America” to see, we saw eighty nine of them, and I would go again
tomorrow if possible and it was free. In
hindsight, every planned vacation was expensive and we always came back more
stressful than when we left.
Henry
David Thoreau: "Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the
more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will
come and sit softly on your shoulder."
The
short and only video portrays our first dogs that were “free to a good home”
and they brought to us so much happiness.
What started out as a lap companion for Elaine and deer chaser for the
farm, turned us into what we are today.
I can’t even imagine where we would be right now if either one of these
events did not happen…Funny how this stuff works… I’ve always said that “when you throw a rock
into a pond, the ripples may be subtle, but they can last forever.” And they
usually do. As I’ve said before, because
of Max, our life, the lives of others, our children and children of our pup owners
have and will be changed because of “free to a good home.”
The
camera was discarded 10 years ago and was nearly thrown in the garbage twice on
Saturday but something made me check it and because I did, I was swooped back
10 years into a simple time that shaped my life forever. Look around and see what you might be
missing, it just might be priceless…I know I now have. Thanks Max and Lilly…Dad
