Spring Ruse

   Here in Florida for some fun in the sun. Yeah, right. The last few days have ranged from mid twenties to mid forties. Today is better with a balmy cloud covered 61 degrees. It has not stopped us from venturing onto the beach to check out the ocean scene. As I watched a family allow the casual looking waves to wrap around their ankles and send them scuttling back to their towels, I was reminded of a time when I was a young boy. 

   We were on a scouting trip into the mountains for a weekend camp out. It was Easter weekend and the temperature was unseasonably warm. My brother and I had decided to take the group to a pond a couple of ridges up for some early spring swimming. We secured our gear in our tents and began the short hike to the pond. We were in tee shirts and by the time we reached the water's edge, were sweating like an Eskimo in a sauna. 

   I could see the last remnants of ice on the slope north of the pond. I was fairly convinced that the others had not noticed. The sun shown boldly on the surface. You could see the deep hues of green and blue from the surrounding trees and the sky above. The water was so clear that the reflections of the new leaves seemed almost to kiss the water. The few billowing clouds in the sky above were staring lazily back at each other as the sun's reflection gave the feeling of genuine warmth. Combined with the warm temperature, an idea came to mind.

   I mentioned how this pond gets a lot of sun and certainly must be unusually warm for this time of year. My brother picked up on the ruse and said, " Yeah, you can tell because the water is so clear. Normally, the spring turnover gives it a cloudy appearance." 

   "I can't wait to jump in and cool off. Last one in does KP for the rest of the trip.", I replied, as I began stripping my tee shirt off.

   My older brother chimed, "You're not going to beat me!", as he began undoing his belt buckle.

   The rest of the Troop began undressing down to their skivvies; all of them eager to be the first in. Since that day, I have often smiled as I remembered our scout master's son's reaction when he hit the water. Being the first one undressed, he dove in head first. The water was surely cold enough to take your breath away.  His head cleared the water and in the most casual voice, said, "Wow, you were right, this feels great." I looked over at my brother. We both shrugged and dove in with the rest of the troop close behind.

   The water closed in around my body like a clamp as the icy cling of winter's ice still lingered in the frigid surface. My lungs struggled against the need to inhale. The chilling shock forced me to the surface as I inhaled deeply and shouted, "Dang that's cold!" Phil, the first in, laughed loud enough to be heard three counties over. Our scout master also laughed as the rest of the troop came to the surface and scrambled for the warmth of the shore screaming and howling like a troop of monkeys. 

   The old saying, he who laughs last, laughs best was certainly true that day. He masterfully turned the ruse around and had a good laugh at our expense. No one seems to remember who dove in last, but I can tell you who the first one out was. Yep, yours truly.

New Short

    Currently working in my next literary short. It takes place in the Arizona desert. It is a landscape that is as beautiful as it is dangerous. Barren and dry to some but if you look hard it is magnificent and the nights carry a sky that is abundant with stars. We spend so little time looking up these days. I would encourage anyone to spend a night in any one of the U.S. deserts and just look up. You will drift to sleep seeing a vast canopy of stars amidst a deep velvet backdrop. It will surely change you, if only just a bit. 

   I learned one of my greatest lessons as a man in an old broken down home sat in a handmade chair overlooking the desert and encouraged me to close my eyes. A few seconds later he asked me to open them again. As I did so, he asked me what had changed. He took only a few seconds to reflect on my furrowed brow as he said, "Everything out there got a few seconds older. Somewhere the hot stagnant air blew a few grains of sand across the landscape and caused a beetle to change its path. a cactus opened a blossom or cracked from the heat. Everything around us and we with it, are constantly changing. The only constant in life is change. If you can embrace that, you will have opened up yourself to one of the greatest adventures that life can offer you."

   Throughout my life I have often reflected on those words. Life has a tendency to trip you up on occasion. Being able to be flexible can help you as you manage along the dusty path that we all trod. If we are lucky and are listening to what is being taught on those difficult occasions, we generally can come out in a better place.

Bloggy, Bloggy nights

When I first began this blogging journey, I had to come up with a title for the page. I first thought about the humorous approach. Let me start off by saying I am an old guy. So the first titles I came up with were "Drooling Banjos", "Prunes and Raisins" (that one gave me gramps, er, cramps just looking at it), "Senior Salsa", etc. Finally, I came to my senses and settled on something more practical, Drew North Literature. on my home page you will find the first three literary shorts available for purchase. I had a lot of fun writing them. Many a late night spent after the day job getting them just right. They say we write best from our experiences. I find that to be true so, at this late night in my life, I decided to put together a series of literary shorts for your enjoyment. They are designed to be read in one sitting so fix yourself a cup of coffee or tea, grab one of my shorts, and escape for a small moment into a world of beauty, laughter, and adventure.