Over the years Cathy and I have enjoyed getting away at the ‘Bed & Breakfast on Tiffany Hill’ in
the foothills of Western North Carolina.
Selena, the owner/proprietor, does a great job helping her guests “do as much or as little as they like.” Each visit is unique as we renew acquaintances
with folks we met on previous visits or make new friends as each day starts
with guests enjoying a gourmet three-course breakfast around the large dining
table. One of my favorite ‘hobbies’ over
the years is seeing how God connects people for His overall purpose which we
may not see until later, so I always look forward and remain open for the next
‘connection’. This visit saw several
that were unique and who knows how God may use them in the days ahead. However, at this moment I want to focus on
Wade and Bernice.
We have met couples visiting the B&B celebrating
birthdays, anniversaries, honeymooning or just celebrating the day. Wade and Bernice were celebrating 67 years of
being married to one another. That blew
my mind. I will be 67 next month. By the way if you have not selected a gift
yet, cash is always nice. Anyway, they
have been enjoying life as husband and wife longer than I have been aware of
life! They are indeed enjoying
life. She is 90 and he is 89. Don’t worry about me spreading that
information. I got it from her. They are not marking time in a nursing
home. They live in their own home and
here they are enjoying a B&B getaway.
I wanted to take notes. That’s
how I want to live when I grow up.
Cathy and I enjoy spending time on the front porch rocking
chairs chatting with fellow guests. I
sat next to Bernice. I want to learn
about living a long and full life from folks like her. Cathy whispered that Bernice reminded her of
my grandmother who lived an abundant life for 98 years so they did indeed have
several things in common. We had a great
afternoon swapping stories. As the sun
was beginning to set she looked at Wade and asked, “Are you ready to go?” I thought they might find an early dinner
and call it a day. Don’t forget, I’m nearly
67 and I have trouble staying up past 9:30 and they have been married 67 years. So I asked, “Where are you going?” OK,
here it comes…this was worth the price of admission for me. Bernice smiled and with a twinkle in her eye
she said, “We are going to look for adventure!”
Wow! To be 90 years old
and as the sun is going down she is not headed for an early bedtime. Bernice is heading out to look for
adventure! What a great attitude and
outlook! I think I just may have learned
some of her secret to a long and blessed life.
Never stop looking for adventure!
Now I realize that adventure may mean different things for
different people. Webster gives the
following definition: “an undertaking
usually involving danger and unknown risks.” For some that may mean whitewater kayaking,
skydiving or rock-climbing while others may find adventure in discovering a new
mystery writer, learning to play a musical instrument or speaking in front of a
group. An adventure often involves doing
something that involves some fear. A
study revealed that the two greatest fears people have are dying and speaking
in public. So I guess it would be really
scary to deliver your own eulogy. I
think that I wrote about my plans to do that in my last blog but I
digress.
I don’t think the risk is the point as much as seeking daily
to expand one’s experience in life. An
attitude seeking adventure is a great way to keep life fresh and exciting…even
if great risk is not involved. Seeking
new experiences is adventure.
Seeking new relationships is adventure. An attitude of seeking adventure is a great
way to live. You don’t have to attempt scaling
Mt. Everest but it is important to continue to seek new things and stretch
yourself. That is what I learned from
Bernice.
Don’t give up and quit on life. There may be times when we all feel like
tossing our hands to the heavens and crying out, “What’s the use!” Quitting
or giving up should never be an option. No
matter what is happening or has happened, life is worth living. You never know what adventure may be waiting just
around the next corner. Anyone who has
lived long enough to celebrate 67 years of married life could tell you about
difficult times and days one felt like quitting. They never spoke of such matters but although
I have not been alive as long as they have been married I know that life has
such times of sorrow and despair for everyone.
We may not want to admit it but there may have been times, and there may
yet be times, when life tumbles in and overwhelms us to the point that we
question what the point of going forward is.
Over the years I have conducted funeral services for some
who just gave up and died. Funerals are
always sad but those are the worst. I
have also counseled some who are not quite ready for the funeral service but
they quit living some time ago and are just marking time, existing until life
is finally over. Those are the saddest
people I have ever met. They are
constantly focusing on aches, pains and reasons that they think explain why
they are not able to enjoy life. I am
reminded of the quote from Helen Keller, who knew about handicaps and
difficulties in life; “Life is either a great adventure or
nothing.”
So as you wake each day you have a choice. You can focus on the difficulties that can be
easily identified in this sin-scarred world or you can wake each day LOOKING
FOR ADVENTURE!
