appreciating the jumble

my mind was all over the place....
i was just walkin' around the block, but then, took a
different turn.
not cause i planned it.
but because that guy walked right there right then
and i'd be walkin' with him if i didn't turn
the other way.
and since i wanted a solo walk, i turned towards
my goodmorningworld spot.
and since i was heading that way anyway....
i kept going.

and my mind kept going.

i thought of the bone sigh 'your inner voice is the
voice of the soul...follow it.'

as i thought about that, i gazed up at a tree with
magnificent red leaves way up top. all the leaves
below had fallen. but the clump that was there was
lit up in the sunlight.

i had no idea why, but it seemed so fitting.

the wind came by and blew across my cheeks and i
laughed and thought about how it was painting my
cheeks red. it was putting on my makeup for me.

i thought of something bob had just said to me a
little bit earlier - 'you really are like an otter.
you just love to play.'

yeah, i do, i thought.

the jehovah's witnesses drove by. two of 'em.
and waved and waved and waved. i laughed and waved
back. i love how we know each other and like each other.

i thought of my newest theme of valuing the process
and not the goal. it's helping me a ton. just as i
was diving into that, i heard some noise.

then a rattly ol' pick up truck got my attention.
it was a low rider kinda thing, and it was black,
but it looked like it was spray painted black. and
it rattled and it was so full of character. i watched
it turnin' the corner and head my way.

i grinned at it.
all i saw was a huge white guy's arm and hand. and
his hand was waving but it was one of those cool
white mechanic guy waves.

and yes, i live in a really mixed neighborhood and i love
the differences in all the waves. there are cool black
guy nods and all kinda different waves from different
colors, different sexes, and different ages. and i love
that.

well, the cool white mechanic kinda wave....which is kinda
like the guy's reachin' out to put a VHS tape in the VCR...
that kinda wave....well, that wave suddenly flooded me with
memories from growin' up.

i grew up with a cool white mechanic brother so that was the
kinda wave his friends gave me as they'd drive by.

memories.
mixed in just after thinking that the leaves looked like
thanksgiving colors which really worked since it was thanksgiving
tomorrow.......and i had so much to be grateful for.

all this mixed up jumble was with me as i walked.

all this mixed up jumble is always with me.
all this mixed up jumble has brought me here.

to this day.
and i love it.

i love the mixed up jumble.
including the hard parts of that mix.
and especially the fun parts.

it's gonna be a mixed up jumble kinda day.
i can tell.

and i don't know......i just want to honor the all today.
the white guy mechanic waves, the cool black guy nods,
the lit up trees and the dropped leaves, the playing,
the processing, the living.....the dying...the changing.

all of it.
for some reason that matters to me today.
maybe it's gearin' me up for tomorrow....where it's not
just the good that you're grateful for....but the all.