Golden Dreams

Where have all the years gone, and so quickly?
These thoughts cross my mind every once in awhile,
especially now as I've had my 63rd birthday.
If I could, would I go back to an earlier time, back
to my teen years or my college days?

If I'd had a way of foretelling the future, I may
have done a few things differently, change my
direction a bit, but then again...
If I'd fallen in love at 19 with the handsome Italian
fella living next door, whom I felt was in love with me
at the time , I'd no doubt have a houseful of kids.
But, I might also be divorced—since that was his
status a few years ago, and still might be.


If I'd been more motivated to finish college and
get a degree, I'd be teaching English Comp right now.
When I'd moved to San Francisco in 1970, I was working
at a local store. From the entrance I heard,
“Nancy, what on God's earth are you doing working here?”
My jaw dropped.

It was my former college professor, Jean Wilkinson,
who'd had very high aspirations for me.
She'd kept many of the works I'd written, and thought
I would've pursued a writing career, at the very least.
Presently, I'm still writing: short stories and romantic
poetry,as well as this blog.

If I'd followed my parents to Oregon instead of moving to
the Bay Area, I would've never met my husband, a handsome
airline captain,and had our two children.
Nor would I have had the opportunity to meet Charlton Heston
or Bing Crosby who were customers of mine one day.

We now live in South West Florida, which has changed the
direction of my life. I'm a freelance photographer, living a dream
I've always had--sequestered in the back of my mind.
I'm an artist, too.

Life is often convoluted.
You're never sure what each day is going to bring.
Ah, to be a kid again...?
Not a chance.

Blue Skies Ahead...

Charlie Brown, the lovable, insecure, hapless, and
optimistically challenged Peanuts character, always felt
that darkened rain clouds followed him everywhere.
His best intentions were thwarted many times and
Chuck was often taken advantage of by his peers.

Chuck usually invented problems where none really existed.
His friends played under sunshine skies, while he fretted
unnecessarily over what seemed to him like unsolvable
problems. He was a perfect target for bad luck.

How many times has Charlie Brown had the football
pulled out from him? Good ol' Lucy drove Chuck nuts,
and was always ready to dispense her 5 cents worth of advice:
"Adversity builds character, Charlie Brown,"
Lucy would tell him.
Despite it all Charlie Brown always kept trying.


How much adversity did Charlie Brown have
to endure? When did the sun shine on him?
How do you know if you’re a winner if you give
up the fight?

Life’s twists and turns often work against us,
and seem insurmountable. Sometimes blame for the
outcome is placed elsewhere, or on someone else.

There's a little bit of Charlie Brown in all of us.
With every rainfall, there’s a rainbow.
Nothing is impossible.