Another great weekend

My son and I had another wonderful long weekend with each other. Also, friends and acquaintances were either running their hearts out in the San Juan Mountains or crewing and pacing. All in all, a memorable weekend. Although I would have loved to have been in Colorado this past weekend, my time with my son was cherished, as always, and I have no regret.


Something that most people don't know about me is that I had a near death experience a few years ago. I literally thought I had less than 2 hours to live. I was flying a twin-engine plane over the Florida panhandle on a stormy January night. The weather front my flight partner and I were flying through stalled unexpectedly and our destination airport and every other airport within the vicinity was closed by fog. We did not have enough fuel to fly out of the weather below us. All we knew is we had less than 2 hours of fuel left. At one point, we contemplated calling our respective families to say our "goodbyes". It was the first time in my life that I truly understood the meaning of hopelessness. Thankfully, at the last moment, the airport in Mobile, Alabama opened and we were able to land with 300 feet ceilings. As soon as we landed and began taxiing, the fog rolled back in and the airport, once again, closed. When I got out of the plane, I literally knelt down kissed the ground and thanked God for sparing my life. That night changed my perspective on life. My, then, wife was pregnant with our son and I couldn't imagine him growing up without a father. Something I experienced growing up, but for different reasons. My story, while much more detailed than what I've provided, is a glimpse into one of the many reasons why I appreciate every sunrise. Many mornings I lay in bed as the low-angled sunbeams pierce through the entire length of my apartment to splash orange light on my west-facing bedroom wall. I won't experience that for the entire year, because Summer Solstice has now passed. The sunrises will now slowly move southward until Winter, where it will begin the cycle all over, again. I am aware of things like this because I don't take the sunlight splashed on my bedroom wall for granted. It's a small thing, but I find meaning in many things considered benign.


My son and I had a great time this weekend and we visited a popular place in Austin yesterdaythat I haven't been to in a very long time: Barton Springs Pool. The pool is actually a spring that discharges upwards of 27 million gallons of water each day. There is a man-made concrete dam at one end to contain the water and it does make a very long pool with cool 68 degree water. It's very refreshing, especially during the Summer months. We had a lot of fun hanging out and my son even caught several minnows with his bare hands. Very impressive! We'll go back, again in a few weeks to enjoy the cool waters. Until then, at least I have the pictures to remember the occasion and it was his first time going there and I'm glad it was with me.


There's a saying we hear often about how fast our children grow up. And, it is so true. Life speeds by at a break neck pace. And, if one doesn't learn to live in the moment of today and accept and embrace it, we're doomed to be constantly seeking out the impossible of a tomorrow that may never come. Each day is a precious gift in it's own right. And, when you really think about it, each sunrise is a miracle. Live today!