Memoirs of a Geezer
Reflections and Observations -- A Bright Passage from the Fantasies of Youth to Illuminations of Advanced Maturity!
This Episode: Spending Time Wisely... Pondering Identity,
Sometimes Our Own, Sometimes that of Others!
Deep in the mists of geezerhood, with all of its obscurity, challenges, wonders and expectations -- ever Closer to surrendering the Illusion of Immortality -- in an effort to escape the clutter and cluster of urban smog and dust-scape, we tend to wander... Where? Somewhere! Anywhere... perhaps north, sometimes in other directions?!
At the beginning of a recent such brief odyssey, we were delighted to spy two BlueJays, each a buzz of glorious color. As if the pair -- blurred but unable to conceal themselves entirely -- were speed painting their 
primary hues, spreading then onto the contrasting green of flora, some of it incipient, some in the full explosion of spring beauty and color!
Heading south toward the river, SweetHeart and I were attempting to discover the oddly narrow stream of what we believed to be a tail of the river and how it joined its larger body. In the end, thwarted by a power pole and impassible shrubbery, we were compelled to cross to the other side. To no avail, we could not bend our vision to follow its path and the probable junction of a small thread to a larger skein!
Having crossed, we found ourselves on a flag-bedecked vision of various contours of field and meadow, a greensward, bordered by vestigial woodlands, still spare, just budding in the nascent burst of early springtime.
Never mind all that. We move on! I suppose some would question our own dedication to the betterment of the nation's economic health. We are old, yes, but we continue to work as much as we're able. Being older, or historic, as our grandson describes us, we sometimes seize moments when industry fails to beckon, and thus we wander. Our attempts to find joy in simple pursuits, to spend time in peaceful reflection, visions of wings, the undulating and constant movement of water, gorgeous vistas of green, purple, pink, lavender, sepia, emerald and sage! Dazzled often by its variety, complexity, beauty and memory!
Our wanderings do take us, or perhaps lead us inexorably, to destinations comprised of those aforementioned joys, miracles and colors, where ospreys soar and dive and capture 
river fish with which to feed their young and themselves. Until late summer when offspring begin to fledge, testing courage and wing strength, ability and that ancient, instinctively-rediscovered route to winter feeding grounds far to the South.
We often wish that our forte, our primary bread-winning focus, were educative travel, leading followers to distant shores, exotic cities and towns, to far-away places, fascinating ideas, customs and faces! (The word "forte" -- by the by -- contains a Silent "E" and is pronounced "Fort," and means one's strength, one's matier, one's principal gift or talent, one's "Thing," so to speak!)
Alas, at least for now, we wander in limited scope and distance, but we can and do dream of greater escapes. Well, to be honest and accurate, we've both traveled somewhat 
extensively, in our distant past -- to France, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Estonia, Turkey, Mexico, Canada, England, Finland -- and to many destinations in our own country. Mustn't grumble, but still we long to wander further afield, and oftener!
Meanwhile, we have our Great Lake, the Confluence of Three Rivers, our namesake river and other bodies of water in which big ships plow their way to ports and harbors and depositories. Many offloading their goods and their essential cargoes from great, cavernous holds, or collecting commodities to ferry to other faraway places, ports and harbors, many great vessels with self-discharging structures aboard, destined for as many ports with enormous collection canyons and conveying contrivances on their shores!
(Special Note of Dedication: For SweetHeart and all of our good chums and relatives who have been elevated to the status and the state of Wisdom! I note that aristocrats speak of being "Elevated to the Purple," that is, achieving a position of royalty. Those of us not of the peerage or royal lineage achieve veneration through the process of aging gracefully, and should therefore be accorded great respect and admiration... possibly purple garments too!)
Humbly submitted 05-13-25 -- Joel K.
