A Little Holiday Fun

A Little Holiday Fun

by | May 19, 2024 | March 2024

By now the weather has finally gotten warmer, as it was the coldest winter in Florida in years! March was special in so many ways. I’m not sure if it was the warmth of the weather or the warmth of the people around me, but it sure felt good! I think I smiled more than I had in years, and I finally realized why people here were always smiling and in a good mood – they’re genuinely happy!

There’s always something to do, someone to hang out with, and plenty of conversation to enjoy.

The sad part was – it’s March. The end of the month would mean plenty of goodbyes. I watched as people gathered for one more party, one more dinner together, one more boat ride. The long hugs and happy tears were plentiful. And by Easter, most of us snowbirds had headed out. The village was quiet once again.

I learned later from my Aunt Gloria; she has a saying, “you have to leave, so you can come back!” That is so fitting when it’s so hard to leave, yet comforting to know we’ll see each other again soon.

So I’m going to close this with a poem I wrote. I think my Holiday friends can relate to it.

Holiday RV Village

 

Some of us drove

For thousands of miles

To find this special Cove.

 

Full of happy smiles

And massive amenities,

To enrich our lives and souls.

Holiday everyday

Brings community to play.

A place rich with Florida nature,

And a place to gather to pray.

 

A place for snowbirds

To escape to.

Full timers to enjoy.

And adventurist travelers wander to

Discovering so much more.

For we all find more than a resting place,

But a joyful sanctuary

We call our Happy Place.

 

And as our seasons end,

We gather once more for farewells,

Hugs, and see you soon,

Our dearest Holiday friends.

Kelly & Bob Frank

The Orange Tree

The Orange Tree

by | May 18, 2024 | February 2024

On my morning walks with Nella, we pass an orange tree growing on the edge of the ‘woods’ (it’s a damn jungle if you ask me!) and I’ve watched the fruit on it become bright orange and by now it’s a little past ripe and darker in color.

I would have loved to pick just one, but they’re out of my reach (yes, I know I’m short!) and the tree is nestled in the overgrown swampy area.

Snakes and gators and whatever else lurking in the swampy area sounds reason enough to stay away from the tree. Or is that just an excuse? Or fear itself (not big on snakes or gators) keeping me from the beautiful fruit?

So often it seems with business and life, I’ve found myself at a point where things are about to produce the fruit of my labor and then I’m faced with a challenge, an obstacle, let’s face it – shit hits the fan, and I’m stopped in my tracks. Whether it’s a broken computer, broken parts on the RV or not enough business coming in, or all of the above…it becomes overwhelming, and you just feel like walking away from it all.

Sigh. Is it the fear of what’s in the swamp, or the fear of failure?

I have faced many fears on this trip. Today when I walked past the orange tree, I thought, damn! I bet those oranges would still taste good!

Pushing past what’s stopping me means more than just fixing the problems and following it through. It means changing my paradigm, which is a mental program or mindset that has control over our habitual behavior; and almost all of our behavior is habitual.

 It means creating new habits and new narratives we tell ourselves to better focus on what we truly want in life.

It makes each step everyday intentional to improve my life, and hopefully impact others around me in a positive way.

The fruits of my labor will come someday soon! And those oranges are sure going to taste so good!