Daily Musings
One of the hardest things about changing is admitting that you were wrong or that you believed something to be true that was wrong.
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Support animals versus real animals.
When we got to Steamboat Springs this past week our room wasn’t ready, so we decided to go to lunch while we waited. The receptionist at the hotel made a point to tell us about a specific restaurant because they allowed dogs, and most restaurants don’t. We took the advice and walked the few blocks to the restaurant, dragging our 14 year old blue heeler behind us.
When we got there I immediately got the feeling that it wasn’t going to go well. The restaurant was busy and small. So before walking in with our dog, I told my fiancé to wait outside while I went in to check on a table.
I told the host I was 2 with a dog, to which he replied, “O I can’t have dogs in here.” I explained to him that our hotel receptionist told us specifically to come here because they do allow dogs. He replied, “only in the summer, out on the patio.” Of course they didn’t allow dogs inside. I don’t know of any restaurants that do. It made sense, so I didn’t argue.
But we were hungry and unsure what to do, and since our room wasn’t ready yet we needed to find a place for our dog to wait while we ate. So I ran back to the hotel, grabbed our truck, and drove back to the restaurant so our dog could wait in the parking lot.
I got back to the restaurant, told the host we were back, without our dog, and he said to wait, that a couple of two tops were just getting up. Waiting with us was one another person who was waiting for his friend to show up. The waiting area was a small vestibule with barely enough room to fit a few chairs, and the walls had dollar bills stapled to them with notes written on them from past patrons.
When the other guy’s friend show up he wasn’t alone. He had his best friend with him. A little 20 lb hound on a purple harness. She wandered all over the vestibule, smelled every corner, and I thought to myself “I thought you can’t have dogs in here. I guess he hasn’t spoken to the host yet.” I was going to say something to save him the hassle of having to find a place for his dog to wait, but I thought better of it and stopped myself.
The host came back and waved them towards their table, but at the last moment he spotted the dog and stopped. He looked down at the dog and asked “Service animal?”
“Yea. Service animal.”
“Ok, right this way.”
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I’ve always thought about how borders keep people out of countries, and especially with what’s going on now I feel like not a day goes by that I’m don’t think about how arbitrary and detrimental they are. But for the first time the other day I started thinking about how they also do the opposite job. They keep people in.
I’m a U.S. citizen, which in today’s world is the luckiest type of citizen you can be. But being a U.S. citizen, any citizen of any country, means in order to live anywhere else, I need to be accepted by another country to live within their borders. It means that even if I do move to another country and keep my U.S. citizenship I still have to pay U.S. taxes. It means that I have to abide by U.S. travel and visa rules when I leave the country. It means I’m paid in U.S. currency. It means if I commit a crime and flee the country that I’ll likely get sent back here.
The system is setup to keep people out, but also to keep people in and ensure that the country can count on the body.
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I walked into a gas station convenience store and the attendant said “Hola.” I said hello, and then quickly corrected myself and said “hola, como estas?” When I cashed out she asked me if I was ready (Listo?) and read the amount I owed (diez y ocho vente nueve) all in Spanish, and I replied in Spanish the best I could.
I must’ve tricked her into thinking I could really hold a conversation because as I turned to leave she said something off the cuff and then laughed really hard. She spoke so fast and it was so unexpected that my brain couldn’t comprehend and translate quick enough. But instead of asking her to repeat herself, I just laughed and moved quickly towards the door hoping a hearty laugh was the right response.
But the next day my fiancée and I went back in for some drinks and the same lady looked at me and said, “hello.” She knew I was a fraud.
I left feeling disappointed for not being able to hold a conversation in Spanish, something that I’ve strived for all of my adult life. Knowing enough Spanish to at least communicate in times like that has always been my goal that I’ve only ever reached intermittently. So I started to think about why? The answer was simple. Because I don’t make time to learn and keep up with Spanish.
Instead I wait until I’m in a situation, like this one, by which time it is too late. So I started to think how could I learn Spanish and maintain what I know without it feeling overwhelming? It turns out to be the same answer as anything else.
I like to be in shape and healthy, so I exercise every day. I like to learn and feed my brain so I read every day. I like to have mental clarity and process my thoughts so I read every day. I like learning new cooking techniques and making dishes so I cook every day. If I want to learn and keep up with my Spanish I need to do a little bit every day.
It’s hard because with something like Spanish it’s easy to default to I just can’t do it. It’s a foreign language. It’s hard. What’s the best way to learn? But the reality is it’s no different than any other skill. The only way to improve is to practice every day. And so I plan on practicing every day the same way I do every other discipline I find important in my life.
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Spotify is the newest non-social media platform to introduce social media-esque features. Under podcasts users are now able to leave comments. It’s just one more place now where people can “engage.” Every time I see another platform trying to be come more “engaging” I wonder, does it actually encourage more people to engage who would have not otherwise engaged? Or is it just another place for the same people to “engage” more?
Specifically with comments I wonder, are more people in the world going to participate in commenting because it feels better to comment on Spotify (in this example) than somewhere else? Or is it just one more place for the same people to share their same opinions and waste even more of their time? Unfortunately I feel like it’s the latter.
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I think a lot of life is thinking that we have no time when really we have all the time we need. It feels like this clip from Austin Powers. Like the steamroller is barreling ahead, and there is just not enough time to get out of the way. Our sense of panic at impending doom stops us in our tracks fearing for our life instead of calmly moving out of the way.
It can feel like everything is always quickly closing in on us, when in reality we have plenty of time to move. We have this feeling like the walls are closing in and we need to rush, but if we take a breath and focus on what we’re doing we realize we have enough time to get it done.
This thought comes to my mind every time I’m on a chairlift and I decide to do something crazy like take my phone out when the chairlift tower is approaching. It always feels like I’m not going to have enough time to get my phone back in my pocket, put my gloves back on, lift the guard rail, grab my ski poles from under my leg, and depart the chairlift without falling and causing the chairlift to stop. And for a moment I sit in panic as I watch that fumbling scene unfold. But then I refocus, and one item at a time get ready to depart the lift. And I always have enough time. I think a lot of life is like that.
I think if we could see life like an approaching chair lift we’d realize that while it seems like the ride is coming to a rapid end and we need to rush to be ready, that we actually have way more time than we need. Yes life is short, but we have time. Time to think, to observe, to plan, to enjoy, to love, to support, and to embrace. There is time for everything. We have time for everything if we’re willing to focus and get one thing done at a time.