MUSINGS and other writing by Mark Kolke

. . . . . . there is no edge to openness

TODAY'S MUSINGS

FEEDBACK / COMMENTS

MARK SPEAKS

MARK'S SPEAKING TIPS

ARCHIVED COLUMNS

ARCHIVE WINTER 2020-21

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2020

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2020

ARCHIVE SPRING 2020

ARCHIVE WINTER 2019-20

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2019

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2019

ARCHIVE SPRING 2019

ARCHIVE WINTER 2018-19

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2018

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2018

ARCHIVE SPRING 2018

ARCHIVE WINTER 2017-18

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2017

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2017

ARCHIVE SPRING 2017

ARCHIVE WINTER 2016/17

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2016

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2016

ARCHIVE SPRING 2016

ARCHIVE WINTER 2015/16

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2015

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2015

ARCHIVE SPRING 2015

ARCHIVE WINTER 2014/15

ARCHIVE AUTUMN 2014

ARCHIVE SUMMER 2014

ARCHIVE SPRING 2014

ARCHIVE WINTER 2013/14

CONTACT

MY REAL ESTATE LIFE

WHY I WRITE MUSINGS

SHORT STORY PROJECT

POETRY PROJECT

SELECTED OTHER WORK

TURN ON YOUR RADIO

Tuesday June 11, 2019


Life is taking a one-way trip, or like a round-trip ticket with open return date. Or maybe just a one way ticket to somewhere without a ticket to our next stop. Expectation of a successful trip is rooted in having some plan with itinerary, destinations/dates woven through them. Use an APP. Or go old-school, call your  travel agent.

Answers to simple questions like: where are you going?, when will you return?, what do you want to see?, who do you want to visit? – are all required inputs to a good plan.

But what if some of the answers are: I don’t know my ultimate destination or, I don’t know if I’m coming back or, maybe I’ll change my mind – these are harder to manage, but don’t they add excitement?

We probably wouldn’t take a vacation or business trip with so many open-ended variables, but we live lives like that every day – not knowing what’s next, not knowing which path or road will fork-off in two or more directions. At any moment, more than weather and logistics, we need to watch for incoming people – those people can sometimes fly into or out of our lives faster than any well-hatched plan.

What too many people don’t realize, we get bogged down in routine or in the problem – while unexpected opportunities to pursue new destinations and clever turns might drive us down forks in the road we never imagined. We miss them because we aren’t tuned to their frequency.

Not like trying to get a station on your radio when turned to a slightly different frequency. More like not having the radio on at all.

Reader feedback: 
GUSTA FAREWELL
Mark, My condolences on the loss of your long time companion. As far as having a pet, your last sentence says it all for me. LH, Lethbridge, AB

Pets are as hard to say good bye to as people! Especially when one lives with a pet for 16 years! And Gusta was very special.  So sad for your loss! I am glad you held her while she passed. That is as precious as it gets, for you both!, SF, Lethbridge, AB

My condolences Mark. It’s often as tough losing a pet as it is losing a friend, TL, Calgary, AB

I’m so sorry Mark. It is so hard to lose your best friend. After I lost one of my dogs, I decided I could not go thru that again and would not have any more dogs. I was wrong. I realized that the joy they bring you is worth far more than the pain of losing them, DM, Calgary, AB


 
 
 
     
 
SIGN UP TO GET MUSINGS BY e-mail: CLICK HERE

 

sign up to get Musings free daily


Comments are always welcome - please contribute to the discussion.  Reply to: kolke@markkolke.com

You can also connect with me on LinkedIn. This site is updated daily, each column is retained in the archive when the next day's column is loaded ...  


Copyright - all rights reserved - Mark Kolke, © 2003-2021