Wright Anniversary

Relationships get better with age...age being maturity. The older we get the more we are able to appreciate others. And the more we appreciate ourselves. I don't think we can truly know and love another person until we truly know and love ourselves. These qualities get much more solid as we get older.

With age, we become less focused on the negative things and the "what ifs". We learn to enjoy the moment, enjoy what we have, respect and cherish what is in our life. I don't know if it's because we are facing our own mortality, or if it is just that we realize that all the petty crap isn't worth the time we give it.

What I do know is that in my middle ages I have a truly adult relationship. It is much easier for us to talk to one another, even if we may get mad. We can talk, work through things...we have more patience to see it through as opposed to rashly walking out on something.

Almost all of my possessions have been in storage for over a year. Now, I live by the thought of impermanence, and things are just things. They hold no real value in this world. Yes, they are sentimental and they are mine. And that's where I get into trouble. I shouldn't be sentimental about stuff. And to claim ownership is such a human trait....and it causes such suffering! But still, I miss my stuff!

When I visit my storage place, I open the door and all the aromas of my life come rolling out at me. And I am instantly at peace. It's amazing how that works. I have stored in this place: my sofa, a beautiful octagon wood/wrought iron coffee table, antique round dining table, several large rubber-maid containers of books, Buddha figurines, a shushin statue, clothes, dishes, candles, ornamental decorations, pictures, papers documenting the history of me, and so on. Some of the things I have a really pretty cool! And most of the things I have were given to me by others that hold significance in my life.

The aroma.....it is mostly nag champa and some other fragrances such as eucalyptus, patchouli, sandlewood.

We are living in a fifth wheel RV at the moment and there is just no room for my stuff. I hope that one day we will have a place....land and a house....and then I can have my things again. I have thought often of selling some of my stuff but in reality, I just don't want to. It costs me money every month to keep it all in storage, but it's a price I am willing to pay...for now.

I grew up going to Astroworld. I was deeply saddened when it closed down. I just couldn't believe it. It was an icon of my childhood. There were many times growing up that we spend an entire day and into the night there. Back in the 70's Astroworld was a safe place for kids to go. Mom could drop us off there and come back to get us when the park closed, and she didn't have to worry that something bad would happen to us.

I remember riding the Dexter Freebish, the Cyclone, the bamboo shoot, the monkey barrel....

The Monkey Barrel! Once our Aunt Pam went with us and she got in the Monkey Barrel. The ride was one of those circular barrel type things that would spin really fast, and once a certain speed was reached the floor dropped down. Because of the G-force you would stick to the wall when the floor dropped. Well, Aunt Pam had something that none of us knew about until the day she decided to ride the Monkey Barrel. As the floor dropped, and we are all laughing and thrilled, we looked over at Aunt Pam, and this blond creature was climbing up the wall from her head! Literally crawling! It was crazy! Her wig had come alive and was moving up the wall!!

The Dexter Freebish roller coaster was one of the first at Astroworld. It was all white and made of steel. It was loads of fun! The drop was amazing! And just before the end of the ride, there was a deep, sharp turn that came really close to the great big huge beams that supported the ride. There were many myths about the turn....you went so fast and so steep, banking around those beams! Anyhow, the myths were all about people smashing their heads on those beams. As a kid, that was the scariest thing, and of course we all believed it. But realistically, that would have been impossible. There was plenty of room between the rail and the beams, and a person would have to be standing up to even reach out and touch one of the beams. With the speed of the ride, it would be impossible to stand up at that moment. But it was a fun story to hear and to tell!

When they build the big wooden roller coaster, the cyclone, we were all thrilled! Our very own wooden giant roller coaster! I rode it many times. The creaking of the wood was scary! The drop was amazing and very high!

There are many more memories of Astroworld. I just wanted to jot down these few. I can't believe it's gone! Very sad indeed....