Route Perspective

When it comes to directions, my husband says that there are two types of people in this world: 1) the people who give specific directions according to interstate exit numbers, street names, and physical addresses or 2) the people (like me) who give general directions according to points of interest or landmarks.  He is actually correct in his observation.  The first basic way to give directions is called the survey perspective and is characterized by cardinal directions (north, south, east and west), street signs, exit numbers and names, traffic lights, and mileage distance. The second basic way is called the route perspective and is characterized by landmarks. For example, I would explain the route to my library from the interstate exit in this manner: Turn by McDonald's, pass the big tower on the left, then turn right at the Church of God.  When you get to this sharp curve, start looking for the bank and the post office. The library is located right next to the bank.  My husband would explain the route in a very different way: Turn right onto Highway 13, go three miles, and take a right on Highway 481. Once you drive an additional two miles, take a right on Fourth Avenue, and the library is located directly on the corner of the intersection.

As I was creating this post in my head, I had such an epiphany ~ an A-ha moment! These two groups are really the two types of people in this world!  Group A ~ the survey perspective ~ get from Point A to Point B. Their world is a giant grid, and their ability to navigate this grid is primary.  Group B ~ the route perspective ~ don't miss anything along the way.  Their world consists of points of interest, and their ability to become familiar with every single landmark is primary.

What I am about to share is absolutely true.  My husband and I were driving to my mom's house ~ a route we travel on a weekly basis, at least.  I mentioned to him that I was writing a post about these two beautiful rose bushes that had been planted in front of a dilapidated house, which happens to be located on the road to mom's.  I was telling him about the lesson I had learned from those two rose bushes over the past year.  Then I pointed out the house (and the rose bushes) to my husband as we passed by.  He said, "I have never even noticed that house."

WHAT!?!  How do you travel the same highway three or four times a week and not take notice of the route or more especially those glorious rose bushes?  I notice EVERYTHING!  I have route perspective to the power of ten!  I notice when someone keeps their large white dog in small cyclone fence all day...in the hot Mississippi sun!  I notice the change of clothes on the scarecrow every season at this small roadside garden spot.  I never miss a single garage sale sign, and I never miss birthday balloons tied to a mailbox.

Survey people, on the other hand, know how to navigate.  They know the shortest distances, and the best roads to travel, and how much time it will take to get from Point A to Point B.  I am sure they have unmatched navigational skills, which provide minimal turns, detailed directions, and a well-defined destination. My husband belongs to this life group. For him, life is all about navigating the grid ~ having a steady income, saving for retirement, paying for college, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and doing all of the above in the most timely manner possible.

For me, life is all about the route!  I just want to take the long way around in everything I do!  I would rather miss a right (correct) turn than to miss a point of interest!  I can't even understand the concept of a grid! I know that the people around me recognize me as a route person ~ especially the survey people.  The other day I was walking out of the library with a co-worker who is retiring this year after thirty years of employment. She is a master at navigating the grid, and her post-retirement destination is well-defined.  As we talked about my future plans at the library, she asked me how old I was.  I told her my age, and she made a statement that has stuck with me all week. "Well, you have no possibility of a real retirement, so it doesn't matter what you do at this point," she flatly stated.

I had just completely fallen off the grid.  According to her, I had arrived at a navigational term known as a drop dead point. A drop dead point is a specific place (a landmark, an intersection, a dead end) that tells the person that they have gone too far; they have missed their turn.  For example, if you come to the four-way stop, you have gone too far. In her mind, I had gone too far. I had missed my turn. I had not understood how the grid was supposed to work. I had reached the drop dead point. (I am trying to be serious, so don't laugh.)

Therefore, with no clear destination in sight, I guess I'll just enjoy the journey! I think that it is absolutely impossible for people with a true route perspective to ever travel this life any other way.  So...I might not get there before you do. I might never arrive at all, but I can certainly give you some great directions to two glorious rose bushes!

Dianne ; )

New Post - Postponed!

Only one post last month, but this one will make up for lost time!

On Saturday, May 25th, my husband, my son, and I went to a Memorial Day cookout at my daughter's home.  Katie's boyfriend, Brandon, grills the absolute best ribs that I have ever eaten, and coming from a Southerner, that's a mouthful!  I was assigned to bring two dishes to the cookout: spicy coleslaw and homemade ice cream.  My husband had just bought two large boxes of fresh Louisiana strawberries, so I pre-mixed all the ingredients for the ice cream before we left our house. As we wheeled the cooler of spicy coleslaw, strawberry ice cream mixture, and ice along the brick walkway that leads to the front door of Katie's house, the cooler tipped over.  The top popped off the mixture of homemade ice cream, and the sticky, sweet, strawberry liquid spilled onto the bricks. It was not a pretty site.

Not to be denied homemade ice cream, Brandon sent Katie to the grocery store for sweetened condensed milk, vanilla flavoring, and a bag of sugar.  What happened next is part one of this postponed post.  Once Katie drove out of the driveway, Brandon said, "Well, y'all, I think that spill was meant to happen."

He continued, "Mr. David, I need to do something today, because the next time I see you ~ probably on Father's Day ~ Katie is going to have a big surprise.  I want to ask you for Katie's hand in marriage."

Then Brandon turned towards Matt and me. "I guess I am asking for your family's blessing...if y'all will have me."

David responded, "How soon can you take her?" in his usual prankster fashion.  But then he said, "In all seriousness, I think you both are going to make each other very happy."

Brandon advised us that Katie knew nothing.  He said that he had been planning the details for months, and that we would hear all about it soon enough.  But for the meantime...total secrecy!

So...on Thursday, June 6th, at 7:07 p.m., I received a text:  Hey, this is Brandon. Hopefully at some point Katie will say YES!!! this weekend when I ask her the big question in New Orleans!!! Please don't say a word to her about it...Everything is a BIG surprise!!! Hope she loves it!!!  Then he sent me this photo:

OMG!!! I replied. So excited for both of you! Don't worry ~ my lips are sealed! I want every single minute to be a complete surprise! The ring is gorgeous! You are going to make her so happy!

About 7:30 p.m., Katie called me and said that Brandon was taking her somewhere over the weekend and that she had no idea what was happening. I was pretty sure she knew WHAT was happening; she just didn't know how or when or where. Still I said nothing.

She sent me her first text on Friday, June 7th at 8:09 a.m. (I just love documented phone texts!) Getting around this morning...drinking my coffee. I'm excited! Brandon gave me a clue! He said the name of my K-Cup coffee is a hint. It's Emeril's Coffee!

Her next text was received at 11:29 a.m. We have to be going to NEW ORLEANS, we just have to! I'm getting happy, happy, happy!

Then at 2:56 p.m., I received another update. We are staying at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel! OMG! We are right on Bourbon Street! Mom, this is insane!

I have never known third-party excitement like I experienced for the next 48 hours.  I have watched great movies with happy endings, witnessed my fair share of unexpected homecomings and celebrity giveaways, and written hundreds of stories about embracing the best of today.  Nothing prepared me for all the joy that was coming my way, which brings me to part two of my postponed post.

Carriage Ride in the French Quarter ~ Friday, 7:13 p.m.

Beignets at the Cafe Du Monde ~ 9:25 p.m.

Steamboat Ride on the Natchez ~ Saturday, 12:55 p.m.

Me and Padma from Top Chef at the Creole Tomato Festival! ~ 3:57 p.m.

I'm shaking! I mean can this day get any better?

I'm ENGAGED!!!!! He proposed in Jackson Square! ~ 4:33 p.m.

OMG! Some people saw Brandon proposing and took this picture! 

This is where he proposed!

 

 IT'S PERFECT!

This one's mine!

I'm spoken for!

I am so excited I can't go to sleep!

Since that eventful weekend, my days and nights have been filled with texts and telephone conversations about wedding ideas ~ save the date pictures, groomsman and bridesmaid announcements, venue contracts, and secret Pinterest boards! Life as I knew it ~ pre-engagement ~ has been postponed.  Even though I am familiar with the definition of postpone, I wanted to look it up for the sake of this post.  Webster defines postpone as to place later in order of precedence, preference, or importance ~ to defer; to submit humbly to another's wishes; to put on hold in service to another. So, from now until April 26, 2014, any future posts on The Tomorrow Trunk are subject to be postponed!

Dianne ; )

A Narrative Garden

Well...it's official!  I mailed my entry this morning to O, The Oprah Magazine for the Grow Your Life with Oprah and Bob Greene! sweepstakes. My daughters and I have been lifelong learners with Oprah, and I can think of no better vacation on this planet than a trip to Hawaii to hike with Oprah Winfrey and Bob Greene!  Of course, I know that I am one of a gazillion entries...but in the words of Lloyd Christmas, "there is a chance."

I want to grow a garden ~ a narrative garden. Years ago, David and I attended a small country church that is an iconic reminder of times gone by.  The church, which is over a hundred years old, has white clapboard siding with oversize windows and a raised front porch with hand-carved spindle railings. Situated on the front porch are two pairs of large doors on either side and four rocking chairs where people still sit and visit.

While we were there, a member of the church had an amazing dream that David and I have never forgotten.  She saw the small country church surrounded by cars...even lined up and down the highway.  She said that on the left side of the church was a perfectly designed garden.  The plants were placed in rows so that every variety could be seen.  For example, the strawberries were in front of the bell peppers, which were in front of the tomatoes, in front of the corn stalks, in front of the plum trees, in front of the pecan trees.  No plants lacked importance as was evident by the visibility of their placement in the garden.  The strawberries were just as sweet as the peaches, even though their plants differed greatly in size.

As she walked from this great garden to the front of the church, she saw visitors going in one pair of doors on the left side and coming out the other pair of doors on the right side.  A group of people were seated on both sides of the doors and were greeting the visitors as they entered and exited the church.  On one side, the seated group of people handed out seed packets and seedlings to the visitors entering the church, and on the other side, the seated group of people handed out fruit baskets of peaches, plums and strawberries, and bushel baskets of peas, corn, lima beans and squash ~ all fully grown fruits and vegetables gathered from the great garden.  Hanging on the wall space between the two sets of doors was a sign that read, "Everything we grow here is to feed the children of God." Wow! What a dream!

That is the narrative garden of my dreams!  As we enter this great universe, we come fully equipped with our very own seed packet.  Sometimes we stay close to the ground and produce sweet fruits like strawberries, and sometimes we reach the heights of the tall pecan tree, which also produces the fruit of its kind.  It doesn't matter if we grow bountiful bunches of bananas or a few ears of sweet yellow corn on a single stalk, what we have to offer as we exit this great garden is all that matters ~ everyone's story matters.

I just recently read the most "fantastic" children's book entitled The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore by William Joyce.  Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my Gosh! I cannot put into words how much I gleaned from this book, which might have also originated from an amazing dream.  The author uses the idea of books and stories as a brilliant metaphor for the greatest literary work of all ~ our own life story.  While I am sure that children appreciate the book for the elaborate illustrations and imaginative story, I especially love these two simple excerpts:  His life was a book of his own writing, one orderly page after another.  He would open it every morning and write of his joys and sorrows, of all that he knew and everything that he hoped for. And my favorite ~ "Everyone's story matters," said Morris.  And all the books agreed.

We are all cataloged in God's great universal library, and everyone's story matters.  Everyday we make our worthy attempts to submit a life manuscript of our own writing...one orderly page after another.  But, as Morris Lessmore learned, everyone's story matters, not because of what we know, but because of what we grow and what we share with others.  The Bible states that "we are living epistles (life stories), read of all men", which brings me back to the church and the dream.

In that perfectly designed narrative garden, maybe I am a cucumber plant ~ a multi-tasking accessory fruit which grows low to the ground with spiraling tendrils and yields a processed pickle that can be both sweet and sour.  I would love to be part of a great orchard where multitudes of people have to climb ladders just to gather my fruit, but that's probably not my life story. That orchard is where you find the Oprah Winfrey and Bob Greene stories.

As a long-time children's librarian and gardener, one thing I know for sure is that books and gardens are multipliers.  If I read a great book, I immediately share it with my two daughters, then they share the book with their friends, and so on.  If Oprah reads a book and shares it, the multiplication factor grows exponentially!  And the same is true with gardens...If I spend $200 at the grocery store, my family can eat comfortably for a week; however, if I spend $200 on a garden, my family can eat comfortably for an entire winter!  We can also apply this concept to our life story...what we grow, experience, create, and share with others multiplies!

Big sigh, oh well...my Grow Your Life entry is mailed.  In that great garden of a gazillion entries, I am most likely a tiny parsley plant growing in a 4-inch clay pot on a windowsill.  Still..."Everyone's story matters," said Morris.  And I agree.

Dianne ; )