Gnarly (Dude?)

I like to walk in a dedicated open space area in the North Valley of Albuquerque. The walking paths follow the perimeter of agricultural fields. Last Friday, the field was full of geese (the Sandhill Cranes having migrated away in early March). A hawk circled overhead and landed at the top of a very gnarly tree. I’ve walked past the tree many times and always admire it (it’s gnarly dude). It has a LOT of character. It encompasses both the traditional definition of gnarly – twisted and knotted, or difficult and challenging; as well as the Urban Dictionary definition – cool and awesome.

Like the tree I saw on my walk, the map of my life has been gnarly. It’s twisted and knotted; and while probably not cool, and often down-right painful, it has been awesome. My gnarled career path included pretty much every job position ending with the word “assistant,” including library, medical, legal, office, program, etc. Eventually I progressed to job positions ending with the word “manager,” including office, program, etc. Ultimately it led to retirement, and that’s awesome!

My neighbors and I gathered in front of my next-door neighbor’s house on Monday before retrieving our recently-emptied trash bins. We started discussing the paths our lives had followed. The neighbor across the street told of the excitement and challenges of being in a band in the late 70s (a great time to be in a band as far as times to be in a band go). He shared that there were amazing successes and some devastating losses, but that he wouldn’t have chosen any other path. A gnarly path almost always beats a straight path.

Visually, a gnarly tree is much more interesting than a run-of-the-mill straight-up-and-down tree. Gnarly trees twist themselves into unique yoga-like poses that probably hurt, but ultimately keep the tree going. So, “come on baby, let’s do the twist” and create a life that is fun to look back on. Life (even when gnarled) is good!

I had written this post before reading a fellow blogger’s post which shared a challenge (Glastonbury Doors) to write something inspired by a picture of a door. Her post (Interplanetary Portal) contained an intriguing picture of a door. My response to the challenge is in the following post.