Five Years Pass So Quickly

Five years ago to this hour as I write this, I was processing out from the best career I could've ever hoped for. It was also the day my mother passed away as well as the day I received the incredibly welcomed news that my hearing in my left ear had been restored. It was one very emotion-filled day for me. 

My career as an air traffic controller was a career that I literally thanked God for each day I had it and sometimes still do. I had been a kid with absolutely no direction in my life and without direction, I had no goals when I graduated from high school in 1975. 

It's the main reason I ended up in the Navy. 

I have no idea how those five years got away from me so quickly, but they did, and I realize that the next 5 years are going to pass by even more quickly. I suppose that's part of the reason I have a difficult time staying still for very long; I feel as though I need to make the most of each day of my life. It would pain me to look back at the years gone by and wished I had made more of my time here on this beautiful planet and done more with the life I've been given.  

But my existence of late has been a selfish one and I need to do more in the service of others. The plan for being a volunteer for the Cycling Without Age chapter here in Lakeville has been put on hold due to the pandemic. I'm hopeful that we'll be given the go-ahead to ramp that project up and provide rides for seniors and others challenged by mobility issues sometime in 2021.

Steve and I met out at The Bridges Golf Course in Winona Tuesday morning (a 2-hour drive) to play my favorite course ever. I was telling Steve that I could live in Winona, especially when there's such a jewel of a golf course in the city. The cycling there looks superb as well with beautifully winding, hilly roads. Tammy loves the city, too. We plan to go back and play the course again in another month when the leaves are displaying their fall colors. 

I rode my bike to Farmington to meet some friends for coffee yesterday morning at BlueNose Coffee, and along the way, I made a slight detour to stop by the facility I once worked at. I spent a few minutes looking out over the parking lot and reminiscing about the hundreds of miles I'd spent walking the lot on my breaks and recalling what was behind the beige exterior walls of the building. 

I took out my cellphone to grab a photo and knew I was probably piquing the interest of the guards in the guard shack just off to my right. Sure enough, as I turned to leave, a guard came out and approached me, inquiring what I was doing. I told him that I retired 5 years ago and that I was just stopping by to reminisce a little. He was fairly new and had no recollection of me. We made small-talk for a few minutes before I was on my way. 

I stopped by my brother Keith's cabinet shop, just a block from where I used to work. I made my way on my bike to the back of the shop where I usually find him, turning cuts of wood into the most beautiful cabinets. I have so much admiration for Keith. He's without question the hardest working person I've ever known or will likely ever know.

I rode back to Lakeville with Silver (the Silver in Silver Cycling) and enjoyed my time with him, making small talk about our world and our lives. It was nice to meet with him, Denny, Legs, and Pat over coffee. We had a lot of catching up to do but we mostly just scratched the surface. We easily could've talked for hours. The pandemic has kept me and others away from group rides this year. 

That's all I've got.