Small Victories

Things are happening. Finally. The culvert pipes were delivered on Monday afternoon, and they were digging in my backyard on Tuesday morning. So far, they’ve buried all the pipes and drained my pond; in a week or so, it will be easier to excavate. Progress.

As I was exiting my truck on my way into a coffee shop, I was assaulted by a June bug. Today is July the third. Typical. Those beetles are always late to the party. Still, I’m glad I got to see one, even though his flight pattern was erratic and kamikaze.

I’m now sitting in a coffee shop that says, “Veteran Owned,” and so far, so good. Usually, that qualifier has mixed results as far as quality, but in this case, the quality is good, and the place is crawling with people caffeinating themselves. Business is good.

I’m waiting on a former coworker to show up because before he retired, we were pretty close. Nothing really has changed as far as friendship, but the proximity and consistency of conversations have fallen off since he left the employ of the federal government. This dude is super cool. He was one of those quiet professionals in Naval Special Warfare that you’d have to pry stories out of. You’d never know just how much of a badass this guy is. I love it. He’s the real deal.

Last week, one of my literary heroes was sent some of my reviews of his books along with links to my photography and video work. I have no idea who sent it to him, nor how he found me. Ironically, it had nothing to do with my writing, but hey, I’ll take it how I get it. Being seen feels good, despite where the glance originated. I’ve got a lot of “bread on the water,” so to speak.

So, late last Sunday, I got an email from him that made me cry happy tears. I choked up as I read it aloud to my wife. He wanted to chat via telephone. So, I responded with my number and then got a phone call after ten pm that blew my mind. He thanked me for my commitment to wonder and applauded my awe for the natural world. Again, this floored me. I felt seen. We spoke for around twenty minutes on the phone, mostly about snakes. Sleep eluded me for several hours after because I was so stoked.

Sometimes, getting these little winks and nods from heaven tells me I’m on the right track with my life’s pursuits. It fills my sails just enough to keep me going. A win is a win, and I’ll take it. Most weeks, I wonder if anything I post gets seen outside of a small faithful lot of friends and family. This week I found that it had. Pretty dang cool.

I should probably write something about Independence Day. We are free. Free indeed. Don’t forget that. It bears mentioning that despite our nation’s travails, we will rise above all that currently ails us as a nation. Go outside and talk to your neighbors. We aren’t as divided as the internet and news media will have us believe. I’d venture to say that neither of the main political parties speaks for us common folks stranded in the middle of both. Don’t let party lines become battle lines.

So, perhaps we should just double down on being good to our friends, families, and communities. Hopefully, the rest will sort itself out. I’m going to smile and celebrate these minor victories. I’m allowing myself to actively rest as I build towards an uncertain but exciting future. Now, go shoot some fireworks and don’t lose any digits. You’ve earned it. ‘Merica.