our epoch… one year, 48 state adventure
join us on our adventure as we visit all of the lower 48 states in one year!
I have probably already said it many times, but life is weird. And because life is bound by it, time must logically be even more weird. Time is relentless. Time is unforgiving. Time never stops. Good times fly right on by. Bad times do the same. Normal times get lost in the mix. Time keeps on ticking…
There is a “known” thing on my Mom’s side of the family, if there are any qwerks or oddities in any of our personalities, or physical bodies, we blame it on the Banks side of our family. Aka, Banksisms.
The females have coined a term, Bankles, because apparently on the female side the Banks genes create legs that run straight from the calves into feet, bypassing the ankles. At least any visible ankle-like formation. I, being a male, apparently don’t have this abnormality. Or maybe I do and have never noticed it. But to us Banks, Bankles are a real thing. And they are, unfortunately, somewhat traumatizing.
I’m not sure how much I have in common with Johnny Cash since I never have or ever will meet him, but I believe it’s very little. I can play a guitar. And… That’s probably it. I’m even less sure about how accurate the movie Walk the Line depicted Mr. Cash. I imagine there are some truths, and other “facts” that were “tweaked” to make things more interesting. What I do know is that in the movie, Mr. Cash said something in response to his life that my life speaks to me. Over and over… And like him, what I want to say back is,
Don’t give me no rules. All I got are rules.
As a geek who has been writing software, managing software developers or working in IT for the last 18 years, I have become very aware of the fact that my brain works in a binary way. 0 or 1. True or false. On or off. Hot or cold. Black or white. Yummy or gross. I don’t like operating in a grey area. Grey means there is either confusion, dissent or mediocrity. None of those terms are synonymous with satisfaction – at least in my opinion. Applying that to real life, two things have become very obvious to me.
Unknown = scary, but known = boring.
When Kari and I first started talking about this crazy idea that turned into epoch48, we naively thought that we must be the only ones to have dreamed of something so crazy. That we were going to accomplish something that no family has accomplished before. And that we were doing it for great reasons. Enter perspective…
As you get to know me, you will learn the hard truth that I like “lines”. Not cheesy, pick up lines, come on! Although hubby tries those every now and then, along with a rooster-style tap dance around me – and neither work. Ever. When my roosters do this dance around the hens, it doesn’t work for them either. Why am I not surprised?
Silly boys.
No – not pick up lines! Lines, as in movie lines, song lines, quotes…you know…lines.
Life is funny, or not, depending on your perspective. When we are young and dumb, we live life. As we get older and wiser, most of us let life live us. Maybe this isn’t your story, but it is ours.
“She’s an old hippie
And she don’t know what to do
Should she hang on to the old
Should she grab on to the new
She’s an old hippie
This new life is just a bust
She ain’t trying to change nobody
She’s just trying real hard to adjust”
How many of you can say you know this song by The Bellamy Brothers? Technically, it should read, “he’s an old hippie”, but since I am a she, I changed the lyrics above. It came out in 1985. Thirty-three years ago. The same year Back to the Future came out.
Back to the Future.
Almost goes hand in hand with the song.
Now, not that I endorse the above song and it’s subtle way of accepting drug use, nor do I believe in time machines made out of Deloreans, but I sure do remember singing “Old Hippie” when I was younger – and as I became older and found that I enjoyed being a modern day hippie (aka wannabe). I liked the the song as it told of the progression of someone who lived as a hippie, then one day had to grow up and grow out of it.
As time goes on, and life goes on, our experiences begin to pile up. Some good. Some bad. Some happy. Some sad. Some happen on a train. Some happen on a plane. [ ok, enough Dr. Suess ]. All of our experiences impact us, in profound ways. Some impact us in a positive way, and others impact us in a negative way. The beautiful thing is the sum of those experiences get us to where we are right now. I don’t know your physical location, or what day it is that you are reading this, but your experiences have led you here – now. As for me, as I write this I am sitting in my bed, on a seemingly endless conference call, with people both in the states and not, trying not to fall asleep and passing the time by writing about my miracle – and vinegar water… Regardless, my life experience has led me to this place in life. On this conference call. Writing a blog post. Let’s take look back to get a glimpse into the miracle(s) that got me here. Continue reading “believe in miracles. and vinegar water…”
In our home, day to day conversations usually have a good dose of movie lines in them. Now, to some this is odd, but when I was growing up and living at home this was common, if not normal. It gave us perspective of things going on around us that was clear to all who knew where the movie line came from.
When we were all crammed in our small family room with extended family on Christmas trying to open Christmas gifts, someone would inevitably and casually say, “We need a bigger boat.”
Movie line…Jaws. Continue reading “nothing but a suit”