Reflections

It’s the last week of 2004. If anyone had told me in January what the year had in store, I would not have believed them. There have been a lot of changes; some plan, most were not. It occurs to me that the things I remember most are the “little” things. Here are some of the highlights of my year:

• Having my son and daughter call just to see how I am doing and watching them grow up, each in the own unique way.
• Having my wife enjoy her new school and teaching position.
• Enjoying an afternoon baseball game with my ex-boss who is retired.
• Eating popsicles on the porch with the neighbor kid.
• Having coffee with friend.
• Receiving a Dutch Oven as a gift, this opened up the world of cooking with cast iron.
• Planting a new tree in the front yard.
• Having a watermelon seed-spitting contest in the cul-de-sac.
• Listening to a cowboy poet and watching a movie in the park.
• Having two great men work with me, making my job a lot easier and more enjoyable.
• A few weekend getaways with my wife.
• Having friends over for dinner.
• Visiting the wineries in Palisade, having a great wine and cheese lunch, and a whole lot of laughter.
• Having many people with my daughter during her surgery when she was several states away.
• Trying new restaurants with my wife.
• Having friends from Lincoln come visit on a couple different occasions.
• Buying gifts for family and friends just because I want to.
• Having a friend wait for an hour while I was stuck in traffic and then still offer to buy breakfast.
• Receiving a nice bottle of wine.
• Learning to take a nap without feeling guilty.
• Completing Ride the Rockies, a week long, 500 plus mile, bike ride.
• Helping with the harvest in Nebraska.
• Going to a book signing for a man who is now in his 80’s. He rode his bike around the USA and just completed a book about his trip.
• Taking a road trip to Cabela’s with a friend.
  

Maybe these aren’t such “little” things after all.