Planning Time

We made plans today: a week in and around the Grand Canyon and a week listening to the waves crash at Cannon Beach.

When I was a little girl, my family would take an annual vacation to Cannon Beach. The memories are faint, but cherished. I recall being dressed head to toe in my red Columbia rain gear, chasing the dog and finding hidden treasures in tide pools. We used to walk from Tolovana Inn to Haystack rock, singing 'the ants go marching' so I would forget the cold and the long walk atop my little legs.

I've outgrown my red rain suit and it is very possible that the walk is short. However, I look forward to discovering hidden treasures with my dad, to feel like that little girl again, to start opening this gift of time.

My Dad commented that it feels like we are running a race against time, he can hear the clock ticking and when it stops..well we know what happens when it stops. The thing is, we are all running a race against time. The difference between my Dad and the rest of us is that he was given a tentative time stamp, he gets to watch the sand fall.

I wonder if we would have gone to the Grand Canyon or returned to Cannon Beach had he not been diagnosed with cancer. I hate to say it, but probably not. Why do we do that? Why do we wait until we feel like we are running out of life before we decide to live?