Some time on my hands

Kamryn just after getting tossed off her boogie board

A lesson learned-- The Ocean does whatever it wants with you.

Here comes another wave.

2009 Boogie boarding champions

Oops-- think we just saw this wave


Kodie ready for impact

Forgot to mention-- that I recently dropped a few pounds!

A great day for waves and spray

The little sandcastle builder

Okay, that is really me

Things are starting to fall into place for us as of late and we are gradually settling into our new lives here in Havre De Grace. We recently sold our aqua massage unit in Minnesota, which was the last remaining remnant of the retail business we used to run in Arizona years ago. Our van sold two days ago on Craigs list, so that was a real blessing as well. We are now down to one vehicle, but we are going to see if we can make that work for a little while. The last few weeks have been especially rewarding from the standpoint of being at home more often and getting to spend a lot of time with Estalita and the kids. The other thing I am liking about being here is our neighbors. Neighbors are kind of like family in that you can't choose what you are going to get. One of the best things we have found about living here so far is the friendliness and compatibility that we have with many of our neighbors. We have become friends with a Puerto Rican family just a few places down from us. Our kids hang out quite a bit with theirs and really seem to get along well with each other. We have also met our other neighbors from Bangladesh and Israel. There is one other couple around our age who have two kids and we have spent some time hanging out with them and their family. They are animal lovers like us and the kids are similar in age too. The only problem with these people is that they are Cowboys fans, but then I have to remind myself that everybody has at least one major flaw in life. So far, our little development here has proven to be a friendly and hospitable place. The other thing that I like about Havre De Grace is the idyllic nature that embodies the little town. As I mentioned before, this town lies at the point where the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay converge. The downtown area is relatively small, but it is an eclectic mix of seafood restaurants, book stores, coffee shops, mariner museums, and waterside parks. There is even an outdoor sports store where you can rent bikes or other sports equipment like kayaks for day trips on the Chesapeake Bay. I look forward to being a tourist in my own backyard now and seeing all that this area has to offer.

Back to the issue of time. I consider this the most valuable natural resource in human life and I feel like I have some right now. The hours that I spent caught up in my work during my 6 years at TBC were fruitful in many ways, but my lifestyle was in direct contrast to what I believe in. The change that we made in our lives has allowed me to call a "time out" in life to process, analyze, and most importantly, reflect on what is really important. I have observed that American life is not built for much introspection, because most people I know overschedule their lives. The other thing that I would get caught up in is living every day under the pretense that life revolves around a "To Do" list. When this happens, life simply becomes a competition to see if you can get everything done that needs to be done. That is also known as a rat race. When I fall into this trap, I do not become "present" with anything that I am doing. In other words, I don't taste my food, see the trees, smell the flowers, or really listen to myself or others. During these times, I find myself hearing my wife and kids, but not fully listening to what they have to say. For me, this was just the tip of the iceberg. My decision to work so hard and not maintain proper balance in my life affected my health, and ultimately made me realize I was shortening my life in the process. Here is what I have come to figure out. Most of the things that we think have to be done are self-imposed mandates that we have quite simply imposed upon ourselves. I know we have to make a living and we all have responsibilities and obligations that must be met. However, we still have the ability to ultimately control and choose the direction that our lives take. This is why I feel really blessed to have some time right now. I have given myself permission to keep it this way for the time being and fortunately, my wife Estalita also
sees the value of this endeavor. I will continue teaching the distance ed. courses at Trinity and will begin some substitute teaching here locally within the next 2 weeks. In the meantime, I am focusing on a few business ideas that I have wanted to explore for awhile now. When my head is clear, I feel like I can be creative, so the time has also arrived for me to continue with my aspirations to write. It is my responsibility to be a good steward of my time now, so I must press on and "Seize Each Day" and do it with a sense of purpose.

Above pics are from last weekend at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Lights out.