I went out riding on Saturday because at the time I thought it would be fun. It was 20 degrees and it was definitely not fun. I thought I 
was going to lose my toes on my left foot. My new quest is to figure out how to warm the toes while riding - I’m thinking battery operated sock warmers … but I’m not entirely sure. (People who passed me on the trail were very smiley. I think they were laughing at me.) I told my nephew Tim that even though the experience was less than fun - I was kind of proud of myself for pushing the envelope.
This is 2021. It does in some ways feel like we are being bounced from one burning building to another. I’m still feeling good about the year though. “it’s just crazy though Steve, no one is getting along with each other!” Ok, that’s true -- Hey, remember Cher in the movie Moonstruck where she slapped Nicolas Cage when he proclaimed his love for her and Cher said “snap out of it!”? Maybe we chalk up 2020 and before to the past, snap out of it and move on. My prayer for now and beyond is I hope never to see despair and sickness and anger like we witnessed in the recent past … I want for boredom and discussions about tapioca and old cars*.
So we need to push the boundaries of what’s possible in a non-offensive way. We’re successful at Iowa Specialty Hospitals and Clinics because we’ve pushed all boundaries for a rural healthcare system but with love and compassion. Living life without regrets means riding in frigid weather. Moving on post covid means we’ll learn and respect those that showed us how to survive and thrive through the worst of the pandemic. Leaving anger in the rear view mirror allows us to focus on more important things. Life will be boring and good again soon. So “snap out of it” and “just do it” … with love, grace and compassion.
*these are “for examples”. When I painted pictures in my New Hampshire days, I painted a lot of cows because I knew how to paint cows not because I was obsessed with cows … well; everybody gave me cow related gifts. Because I mentioned tapioca and old cars, don’t give me gifts of pudding and model T’s. It’s a metaphor.
