A couple of weeks ago, Jamie and I took my daughter, Ellie, and her boyfriend, Juan, to Cancun. We went to celebrate her graduation from college.
We were not at the resort for more than an hour or two and I had Ellie and Juan lined up to parasail. Although Ellie has been skydiving before, this was Juan’s first time doing something like this. They had the best time. When the ride had ended and they returned to shore, the parasail dude asked them if they wanted to buy the pictures. The pictures along with some video had a price of $50. I said, “Yes.” Ellie said, “No. That’s too much.” I went ahead and bought the pictures. As we walked away, I told Ellie, “Always get the pictures.”
I live my life chasing moments of magic. I never want to forget these moments. As my brain ages and my memory fades, the diary I carry in my head will begin to disappear. That’s why I say, “Always get the pictures.” Photos and videos stand the test of time. It’s how I make my memories tangible. They also help me to share my story. I’ve got a big collection of pictures. Some of them I’ve bought when I’ve done my crazy adventures. Most, I’ve taken myself with the phone camera. About three times a year, I use the Walgreens app and get actual prints made. When I look at them, all of the memories associated with the moment the photo was taken instantly return. When it comes to the value of pictures, country music singer and songwriter, Charlie Robinson, says it best in his song, Photograph; “No you won’t remember. It’ll still make you laugh. When you see us together in a photograph.” Four of us went on this trip to Mexico. I hope all four of us never forget the time we all spent together.
The trip to Mexico was a celebration. It was also farewell. Farewell is a combination of the words Fare and Well. Fare comes from the Old English word Faran, which means “to journey.” A few days after we returned from Mexico, Ellie packed and readied herself for a move to Peoria, Illinois. For the past couple of years, she’s worked for Caterpillar. Caterpillar invited her into a developmental sales program and offered her a position at their headquarters in Illinois. She started this past Monday. In a few weeks, I’ll get my mullet wig, shorty shorts, and reopen my side hustle, Chubby’s Moving Service, to finish getting her moved.
Like last year, a dove made a nest in a big wreath that hangs on the front door of where Jamie and I live. Also, like last year, I turned the “Nest” door camera towards the nest. This year, the dove laid two eggs. The eggs hatched.
The mother bird cared for the baby birds for about two weeks. One morning we looked at the video and one of the little birds had flown away. A couple of days later, we looked at the Nest cam and noticed the nest was empty. I went outside to see if it had just fallen out of the nest, but it was gone. Ironically, the second bird left the nest on the same day as Ellie’s graduation. As Jamie and I drove the two hours over to Ellie’s graduation in San Marcos, I thought about those birds. I also thought about all three of my kids and them leaving the nest. I worry.
My kids have been raised to be independent. I decided years ago that each time I fix their problems I rob them of the opportunity to learn. Like the birds on my door, they’ll figure it out. When Ellie got home from Cancun, she had a shirt waiting for her. While we are on the topic of doves, there is a book called Dove by a guy named Robin Graham. At the age of 16, Robin began a solo sail around the world. This book tells of his adventure. In the book, Graham says, “Life has to have tension. The tension of making another port or finding a piece of gear to mend or how to face a squall. I mean, the guy who is really sick is the guy who has no goal, no ambition, nothing to go for. Having no goal would be like sailing in the doldrums forever.” I want my kids to feel tension. To have lofty goals. To feel the emotions of both winning and losing.
While we were on our Cancun trip, we went scuba diving.
Juan and I are scuba certified. Ellie and Jamie are not. We signed up for a class called Scuba Discovery. We arrived at the dive center around noon. We were issued gear and told to report to the swimming pool for instruction a few minutes later for our brief 20-minute scuba diving class. What? 20-minutes! I had 6 days of training and still felt like I had no business scuba diving. Ellie, Juan, and I passed the class. Jamie had some problems. She was disappointed that she would not be allowed to go down with us. “You failed while trying. You didn’t quit. That’s what matters,” Is what I told her. On the way out to the dive area, I started feeling some real anxiety and was on the verge of full panic. It took a minute, but eventually, I got it all under control. The dive was incredible, and I was so proud of Ellie. That kid is fearless. Hell, all three of my kids are not afraid to put it all out there. Before I leave this topic, I have a method I use to keep me from falling through Panic’s trapdoor. I’ll share it with you some other time.
One last story about Mexico. On the last day of the trip, I told the crew that we were leaving the resort tonight and heading to town. No one liked my idea, but I kept pushing them. I told them that we would start the evening off at Senor Frogs and go from there. The day progressed and I kept pushing. Eventually, they all gave in (As the tattoo on my left wrist says, I Don’t Stop). At about 7 pm, we hopped on a bus and rode it downtown. Once at Senor Frogs, we were seated and the fun began.
The waiters got Ellie to go up on stage and dance, a guy made us some funny balloon hats, we did a bunch of shots, and we even played this crazy electrocution game. Juan beat the guy running the game and the prize was MORE SHOTS!!!! Last but not least, a photographer came to our table and shot our picture, and yes, we bought the picture.
As I paid the bill I asked if everyone if they were glad they gave in and decided to come. Everyone said yes. If you take nothing else away from all of the stuff I wrote today, listen to this; Always Say Yes! Oh, and always get the picture too.
Until next time, I hope you Find Your Adventure and Live Your Life.
PS-We deiced to call our little scuba diving crew Seal Team Quatro. Jamie was our team commander. As commander, she had to stay in the boat!
PPS-When we left Senor Frogs, I gave the kids money to go to Coco Bongo. They said they were tired and wanted to pass. I told them it’s an awesome place and they would regret not going. They said they would check it out. I asked Juan to text us when they returned to the hotel. At 346 AM, we got the text saying they were home and had the best time EVER! Always say Yes.
PPPS-Farewell