Jon James Walks Toward the Light and Ends Up with a Full Belly
Today I spent the day with one of the few people who can stand to spend an entire day with: Me. Even I couldn't do it if it were possible to separate me from myself. I've no idea what I just said but I hope you understand it...
My destination today when I hit the road was Rockland Wal*Mart. I knew they had ammunition for my 9 millimeter. I didn't drive all the way there just to go buy bullets, though. I thought that I'd drive over to the Rockland Breakwater and take a hike.
It has been years since I walked from the shore all the way to the lighthouse at the end. I don't remember it being so long. Not only is it long, it's a poor walking surface. Instead of a smooth jaunt from one end to the other, the pathway is a bunch of poorly matched rocks with crevices every few feet, some large and dropping three feet or more! I affectionately refer to it as, "Mt Vernon Avenue (Augusta)," although that's clearly an insult to the city of Rockland.
I had to take my time because I know my limitations. I'm a klutz and imagined myself calling Mac Dickson tonight to tell him I can't come in because I'm at Penn Bay Medical Center with a fractured femur. Luckily, I made it both ways without so much as a stumble and, sorry, I'll be on the air tomorrow morning.
After touring the lighthouse, which was kind of neat, I made my way down the ladder and back down the breakwater toward shore. As I walked, I noticed all the people in designer shorts, shirts and Birkenstocks. I felt like I was in Florida in February only, instead of everyone speaking Spanish, they all spoke with a Massachusetts accent.
As I observed all the people holding hands and talking to one another, I suddenly felt alone and out of place. Then I caught a whiff of charbroiled beef and just followed my nose up to Splash, the poolside cabana bar at the Samoset.
Renee was my server and got me an icy beverage. I guess, as I sipped it, I must have been looking sad, after all, I WAS alone. At that point, Zoe, another server, said, "smile, it's a beautiful day!" At that point, my attitude changed.
From then on, I was cognizant of my attitude (inside and out). I willed myself to be happy and I was! Zoe's jovial little jab had turned it around for me. I felt like I belonged!
A Cabana Chicken Sandwich later, I headed home, happy I'd stopped in Rockland. I'm also happy I had a good pair of sneakers on for my walk or you might be reading an article in the paper tomorrow titled: "Fat Guy Falls Off Breakwater in Rockland, Presumed To Have Been Eaten by Whales."