Awesome Expectations

I had a really cool realization this evening after an experience on the beach. I have fun, interesting, new rendezvous every time I go out. The same way I have the expectation of meeting friendly people everywhere, I have the expectation of these exciting experiences. I adore the variety, diversity and range of them. I love the brief conversations or moments with animals or whatever it may be. This week alone, I’ve had several and it has me wanting to venture out even more often because it is so fun and satisfying. I love time and physical space to myself and I love connecting with others. I love being awake and I love being asleep. The ebb and flow and ease of it all is enjoyable. 

That said, here are some of the examples of these rendezvous of late. 

I was driving an EZ Go (that doesn’t have a windshield) and a butterfly came right at me. I ducked so it wouldn’t hit my face and had a good laugh. I love seeing so many butterflies happily fluttering around. 

A different location and butterfly that same day. Kudos if you can spot it there, somewhat central and left. 

Remember that post about my evening beach walk where I said it was an eagle I’d spotted, then corrected it as a hawk? It WAS an eagle. I saw one at the beach again today and got some pictures as it stood eating something it had caught. That was cool because I knew it was an eagle and not a hawk and now know I can be sure there are eagles here, at the beach. 

Eagle, right? It was big! I zoomed in quite a bit so as to keep my distance and leave it be. 

I have had some very nice short conversations with people who have had lovely things to say and have complimented me on some things I’ve been doing. Without getting into the specifics of that, I take a lot of pride in what I do and to have multiple people notice that and comment was incredibly fulfilling. 

I love excellent customer service and people who are kind and professional and that is always nice to meet with. I got some propane the other day when the weather was grey and storms had been passing through and this particular place is one I like returning to because, despite it being a fill station I need to go the “wrong” way into for them to reach my LP fill, they are always friendly and professional plus I can pay via credit card right there and the price is fair. Yeah, some places may be cheaper, I haven’t looked. I like paying for good service and the ease of it being nearby and I’m happy to return to this place. I was told they will not fill if there is lightning as that is considered dangerous for them. Thankfully the rain stopped for the bit of time it took and she got exactly the amount I asked for in! 

And then there is this evening when I was walking the beach, closer to the end of the walk. I saw some folks fishing and recognized a shark fin. The reeling it in was also noticeable as I’ve seen other-than -fish caught enough times at this point and I know what this looks like. It was a nice sized shark. I watched from afar, wondering what they’d do. Long story short, they tagged it, measured it, and released it. I took one picture since my camera is full and that was all I could get. I passed them but then went back and one saw I was going to ask a question. I asked if they’d tagged the shark and he said yes, they are volunteers with NOAA. He then explained that they get postcards from NOAA and, when they catch and tag the shark, they send the stats to them for tracking. This isn’t the GPS kind of tracking. I thought that was interesting and I was glad to have this experience as it was totally new to me. I also learned it was a lemon shark! I said I thought it was a great white and he laughed and said no. I know what great whites look like and hadn’t really looked at lemon sharks before. I can clearly see now that they are rather different and now I know how to tell them apart. 

Lemon shark. 

So… I have more to share about sharks at some point. For now, I will simply say that during a beach walk the other day I saw a fin very nearby me, close to where I stood with just my feet in the water. It was a shark moving swiftly and deliberately. I had thought it was a great white that was young but larger than the babies I’d been seeing. I now think it was a lemon shark. 

I love the beach! 

I love having these experiences. I love having awesome expectations for fun and satisfaction to be a part of my days in moments like these. I love learning new things and making connections. I love walking the beach and I have the expectation of enjoying it every single time. Each night especially, when I walk it, I look around so thrilled to be in such a beautiful place. It's one of the easiest places I know to be. I love it. 

Rose Colored Glasses and My Expectations

Every single moment of our lives we have a choice in how we feel. When I write and share about my travels, I am choosing to highlight the stuff I like most, focus on what I enjoy, and include what feels good. I awoke this morning and began thinking about this and how I have options in what I write, how I perceive things, and what sorts of experiences I have in my travels and in my life overall.

Pano at the Augusta Riverwalk in Augusta, GA December 2015.

I’m donning my rose colored glasses with the next post, and somewhat with the majority of what I experienced in one state this Summer. I did meet some nice people, see some cool things, and visit some beautiful places there. And that is what I’ve shared. I know that I can choose to appreciate and be happy anywhere. That doesn’t mean, however, that I need to stay when I’ve had enough, or struggle through anything. Easier can most certainly be better! And leaving - a place, some details, the contrast that was lower in experience and best left behind instead of stirred up- is definitely a better feeling choice sometimes.

I remember commenting when one of my relatives croaked about how people were so inclined to talking about the good stuff, the best stuff, the things they loved most about this person, as if she were a saint. That isn’t to be judgmental, it was a noticing on my part. And how lovely it is! Why not choose to remember the best and feel good stuff and let the other go? Why not do that now instead of when a person croaks? And why not simply focus on the things I enjoyed and let the rest go?

I visited Vermont last Summer and had a fantastic time. I had been there years prior and not enjoyed it as much. It was OK, just not my favorite then. I know that I could go back to a place I’ve been and have such a totally different experience. Whether the first was exciting like my New Year’s in Mount Dora and the second exciting like when I saw a bunch of alligators there- both cool experiences, with a very different vibe in the same location, or my next post on Duluth and the Tall Ships Festival, where I’m really just going to point out the positives; if anything, I want to be open to a different and better feeling experience every time.

There is something to be said for having expectations. I expect to meet happy, friendly people. I expect to see new, cool and interesting things. I expect to rendezvous with feel good experiences. I expect to naturally be drawn to these peoples, places, things and them to me. And if and when things begin to feel a bit off, I expect to notice it so I can take a moment and adjust myself - my thoughts, my focus, how I feel. What it comes down to is, I want to be happy and so I CHOOSE to be. What I find very interesting with this approach is how it’s like I don’t even allow myself to go there anymore. I simply do not have the desire to focus on and discuss anything that doesn’t feel good. And this is how, despite some circumstances, I am able to be satisfied with my experiences. I can recall the cool aspects I liked and share those. I can stay positive and upbeat and open to new, better experiences. And I can feel good about it.

So there you have it. Some thoughts and intentions. I encourage people to focus in a similar way. We’re creating our own experience in life - choose what you want and enjoy the contrast that helps you gain greater clarity in what that is.

This won’t be a tell it like it is site. I will be wearing my rose colored glasses for all who want to see. I’m leaving the rest out. I’d rather be happy.

We each see things for ourselves.

We each get to choose our focus.

We choose how we feel and can choose whatever feels best.

We can play around with things and clarify as we go.

It's entirely up to us and what a thrill to be so powerful!