I just got back from an impromptu visit to Indialantic, Florida where I stayed with my friend Margaret. I had not seen her in over 10 years. A British World War II bride, she reminded me of a 76-year-old Mary Poppins, full of maternal advice and wisdom.

“I am not elderly,” she said. “Elderly is any age after 80.”

A former Elizabeth Arden representative, Margaret taught me her secrets of skin care and lipstick application. This time around, she convinced me to put a temporary tattoo across my portacath scar and served me my first gin and tonic.

My daily education knows no bounds.
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DON’T GIVE INTO IT...
"There's nothing wrong with being afraid. But you don't give into it. Courage is realizing that you're afraid and still acting." ~ Rudolph Giuliani

Margaret’s 85-year-old husband, William, was a World War II night fighter pilot who flew the powerful British Mosquito airplane, history’s “Wooden Wonder.” About a year ago, in an ironic twist to a courageous life, William lost his eyesight.

“Never give in to fear,” he said, never complaining about his blindness. With the magic of the Internet, I was able to research and read aloud to him the specs of World War II fighter aircrafts and watched his animated reaction. In reaching out, I learned a lot, too.

"Keep your fears to yourself," said writer Robert Louis Stevenson, “but share your courage with others.”
•••••

BE LIKE THE OCEAN…
"I pray to be like the ocean, with soft currents, maybe waves at times. More and more, I want the consistency rather than the highs and the lows." ~ Drew Barrymore

The Atlantic Ocean near Cape Canaveral is different from Hawaii’s Pacific Ocean. I’m used to deep blue and turquoise water and sand that is white, not gray.

However different, the Atlantic is still powerful, with rolling foam and surging tide. As Walt Whitman wrote, “I walk'd where the ripples continually wash” and found comfort making footprints in the sand, breathing in the ocean’s salty spray, and gazing with hope at the poetic horizon.
•••••

LEARNING AND WISDOM…
"When learning and wisdom hitch up together, they are a bully team." ~ Josh Billings

I met two women on my plane ride home. First, Teresa, who was nervously on her way to meet her high school sweetheart after 20 years separation marked by hard living. She chattered about her challenges. She ventured to New York two days after the 9/11 tragedies and videotaped her adventures. She thanked me for being a good listener.

On my final leg, I met Helen, an absolute delight, who is working on a book that celebrates healing through poetry. We will be collaborating on at least two celebrations in the future. What an unexpected gift!

As writer Alice Walker once urged, “Expect nothing; live frugally on surprise.”

Find delight in those moments of connection!