Part of my daily ritual includes beginning the day with sunrise and ending the day with sunset whenever possible. It's a meditation of sorts, and a way to be present in the day and fill my mind and heart with thankfulness.
Last evening I went to Fort Pulaski just off Tybee Island, Georgia to watch the sunset from the bridge. It's always a nice change of pace from the beach. There were several fishermen on the bridge as I walked back across. Meeting people and hearing their stories has become a favorite part of my 2 year travel adventure. Chance meetings? I think not... they are all like gifts from the universe. I always get "feelings" that I should talk to certain individuals. Amazing and wonderful things manifest in life if you give out what you seek, keep an open heart and mind and greet life with curiosity.
Last evening a really lovely conversation manifested that lasted an hour and a half. It was like one of those evenings that I would have had in my twenties.... an authentic honest conversation with a total stranger where you could talk about life and dreams and laugh. A real connection. As we get older we sometimes put walls up and maybe are not as open and those random connections with strangers don't happen as much.
As I was passing "A" I felt compelled to talk with him and said, "Hey whatcha catching in here?". He said he wasn't really fishing for anything, he just came there to relax and have quiet and be in nature. And we began a conversation that was a little small talk and some heartfelt interesting thoughts. He was in his 40s and had traveled quite a bit. His wandering took him to Germany and Switzerland, across Europe and many places in the US. I was curious how he could travel so much since he wasn't retirement age. He replied that he worked at a job long hours, saved up money then would quit and travel for a while! He was planning his next trip to Scotland.
We began talking about life in America and the American dream and how it is all changing for younger people today. He didn't believe owning a home was necessarily the American dream anymore, although he said it was a good way to bring in extra money by renting. But he felt it wasn't worth the expense to keep a place up. He saw many people going to campers and RVs as a new wave of "home ownership" and an increasingly mobile society. We covered education and the importance, or lack of importance, in today's world as things change so quickly. He felt that the American dream didn't apply to everyone and that the opportunities weren't the same for or accessible for all Americans. He also felt that each individual should define his or her own dream that spoke to their heart and pursue that... even if it wasn't the same as that held by the general public. Those were the lessons and advice he wanted to instill in his son. We talked about health care and his view that the system is collapsing in on itself. It was a very intriguing thought provoking conversation... the kind of conversation I would have had late one summer night in college. It was such an energizing yet relaxing exchange. In the distance a beautiful fireworks display began at Hunter Air Force Base and we watched and enjoyed the moment. It was a magical wonderful evening. And with his talk of travel, "A" gave me food for thought. I'm wondering if my current travel journey should take a jump overseas to Germany or Scotland! So I guess in a way there was some manifesting going on!
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