Nadine and I took a flight to Denver, Colorado to toddler sit for our grandson in Colorado.  We gave her son and wife some time at a resort so that they could celebrate their anniversary and offered to sit for their son.  We both are going back to our Colorado roots that brought us into the world.  Growing up in Colorado created many memories for me and just seeing Denver brings back so many memories of our family traveling 132 miles from Seibert, my real roots, west to see the huge metropolis of Denver.  We would make that trek on a monthly basis as my dad had to get supplies that couldn’t be obtained in such a small town of Seibert.

You see, I grew up in a town of 200, including the cats and dogs.  I went to school from first grade through high school with basically the same 9-10 other students, and graduated with a class of 10.  Every time the plane flies over Denver, I am brought back with memories of sitting outside a warehouse with my mom and sister while my dad got his supplies.

We decided to take a walk to get some exercise.  As we walked out of the house, there were some ominous clouds, but we decided to brave the potential weather without coats or umbrellas and risk what might happen.  About a block into our walk, it started to spit, but it wasn’t enough to stop us so on we went.  It went from a spitting to a drizzle.  It’s been awhile since I made a choice to walk in the rain.  I do remember decades ago when I was young and foolish that I would do that kind of thing with a girl I would date.  It seemed romantic to walk in the rain.  But long ago, I began to plan for inclement weather and took necessary rain gear, appropriate clothes and the like to prevent a drenching.

Our minds moved from the obvious, the rain pelting us, to the beauty of the rivers we crossed, the barn filled with horses that had been put in out of the rain, the unique homes with acres and acres of beautiful landscape, and a family with a three-year old and two 18 month old children taking a walk as well.  We went from tree to tree where the water had not fallen and got more wet between the trees.

Not once did Nadine nor I complain about the rain or how we were getting rained on.  We appreciated the beauty around us and the walk we were taking.  We were experiencing the simple pleasures of life that had seemed to escape our life for decades.  Mind you, there are other simple pleasures we are seeking to incorporate into our lives, but walking in the rain without the necessary gear is one pleasure we plan to do in the future.

On this journey, there are going to be simple pleasures that are all around us.  It only takes the opening of our eyes and choosing to act on those pleasures that real joy for living emerges.