It's been nearly 10 years since my former wife left this world and in that time I have traveled many miles and many roads to find myself.A handful of years ago I was doing my daily routine of going to the post office to catch up on the happenings of Escalante when I ran into an acquaintance who offered me a job at the new hardware store being built. I had been watching the progress of the project and thought I might contact the owners and ask for job, a way of integrating myself back into the community after the loss of my wife.
I once thought that I might live out the rest of my life single, even had the thought of being a hermit but that didn’t work long or feel very good and so I was open to this new opportunity.
Being somewhat blunt and curious at the offer, I countered with my own proposal. I said I was no longer part of the local church, that’s ok she said. I said I was somewhat quirky in my ideas and they might be different than the prevailing opinions, that’s ok she said. I finally said that if a beautiful woman offered me a world tour I would quit, she agreed.
As the building neared completion I met with the owners and became part of the team. It was just the thing to get me out of my funk and back into life once again. I met the locals and found many of them were related in one way or the other.
As the months passed I found that 50 to 60 hours a week was more than I wanted to spend at work so I began to taper my hours to suit my lifestyle, after all I was a somewhat retired county gentleman.
It was about this time of year, early in January five years ago that I had a premonition that something was about to change in my life. I wanted companionship and looked eagerly at each possible prospect that came into the store but without sucess. Not being able to contain my premonition to myself I shared it with the boss. “Something is coming up in my life, I don’t know what it is but I want to give you a heads up. Now would be a good time to hire some more help.” A few weeks later I had that same feeling, only stronger this time. Again I approached the boss and gave him a second heads up. “Something is coming up in my life and I am just letting you know, you really should hire some extra help.”
A few days later I got a phone call from a dear friend, I met her 25 years earlier and made a connection that has lasted through the years. She said, “I have someone that you might like to meet. She lives in Salt Lake and has many of the same interests that you do.” She gave me her name and said that she would put us into contact with each other. The next few days were spent anticipating and doing google research to find what I could about this person. I was able to find a facebook connection but very little personal background.
When we made contact and I could feel the instant attraction and connection, we made arrangements to meet in Salt Lake. Eagerly I prepared and headed up North with a 18 eggs from my chickens and a fresh loaf of bread as an offering.
When I saw her it was as if we had known each other all our lives and yet we had just met. It was a magical experience and I knew my life was about to change in a major way. Over the next few days and weeks we connected in every way, I even broke my never to break promise to myself, that I would never get a cell phone. She was worth my broken promise. In my eagerness I ask her over the phone about marriage, she countered with “lets wait for the second date so I am sure what you look like.” She said yes at that second meeting and so … as I sat in the Salt Lake Cemetery contemplating the changes in my life I knew that I had to make a phone call to my boss in Escalante. I somewhat dreaded the call and hoped to somehow ease my situation by speaking to the bosses wife. Hello, came the voice on the other end, It was my boss and friend. I began, “Do you remember a conversation that we had when I started this job? And do you remember when I told you something was coming up in my life? Well … I met someone special and I am not coming back to work. I am sorry but this is more important.”
That was five years ago and now I am about to celebrate a 5 year anniversary with my companion, wife and lover. We have had so many connections in our lives, our backgrounds have been intertwined and it has truly been an adventure and tour that I would not have missed for the world.
My life has been remarkable because of the people I meet and the inspiration that guided my life. As I begin a new decade of adventure I look forward to seeing the best of life. With all the opportunities that cross our paths it has always been important for me to follow my heart, my passions and to follow the sense of who I am.
Don’t be afraid to speak it out loud. It can be scary and intimidating to share your dreams, but speaking them verbally, sharing them with others, making a vision board and imagining the result has been what has worked so well for me.
“I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
In this new year, take the one less traveled by … and expect the best, for that is what you will receive.
