This week in Captiva has been quite interesting. The arctic cold has hit this tiny island along with the rest of the US. It is 35 degrees and the news reporters this morning are issuing warnings for parents to bundle their children – and telling them where to call to get an emergency coat. Apparently people don’t have winter coats here. Of course, next week the temperatures are predicted to return to normal, high 70’s to low 80’s during the day and a frigid 59 degrees at night. On top of the rare weather, I am finally on the downhill side of a cold that presented itself on Sunday morning, first day here. What’s up with that?
Well, in reviewing the stresses I put myself through the week prior to our trip, I can see where the cold came from. Big lesson there on what not to do. The weather? Who knows. However, as the wind is howling outside my door, I am reminded that winter will be followed by spring and there is so much to be grateful for, no matter the circumstances. All we have to do is look around to see how wondrous life is.
In just a few hours one of the couples in our group will be married on the beach. It sounded so romantic as they planned their wedding… shorts and barefoot in the sand with blue skies and a balmy breeze. Looks like we all will adjust things just a tad. However, a little weather won’t curb their joy as they begin their new life together. We will all just appreciate, a little more, the warm confines where the brunch will be served. Perhaps that’s why we have the contrast – so that we can appreciate things a little more, taking nothing for granted. Today will create memories for all of us. None in our group has ever been to a wedding on a beach before.
Hmmm, as I think about it, every day creates memories. It’s just that we often take the moment for granted. It is only when we look back that we realize how precious the moment truly was. Ahh, this is the lesson for me today…regardless of what today brings, and despite any circumstances, let me not waste any of its precious moments. And speaking of precious moments, I gotta run…what was that emergency number for a coat again?
