Happy Holidays, From the Mountains to the Seas

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Ever since I have been cognitive enough to think about stuff — anything — I have thought about the holidays, starting with Thanksgiving right through to my birthday, January 4, which I share with my youngest brother. Having a brother born exactly eight years younger, to the day, is like hitting that nearly impossible, almost miraculous, drive on a four-stroke fairway for a hole-in-one.

Ever since my 62nd birthday I’ve thought this silent question, “Will I live long enough to see another Christmas and my birthday?”

You see, my father and oldest brother died before their 63rd birthdays and my next older brother, born just 20 months before me, died at the age of 58. So, there hasn’t been any examples of longevity in my immediate family.

I came by this resulting philosophy from something I heard in a movie, to quote Chris Pratt as Josh Faraday in the 2016 version of The Magnificent Seven, “So far so good.”

To avoid another 1,000 word post about my health, here is what I’ve got going during this Holiday Season. I’ve been to  few area beaches to document the high surf. The large waves that fueled The Eddie Big Wave Invitational at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii …

… have been hitting the West Coast. Those waves in Hawaii (Oahu and Maui)  hitting from 25-60 feet and here in San Diego County we were seeing waves slapping at the underside of the Ocean Beach Pier — and it isn’t even high tide.

For me, these are the best local holiday excursions: trips to the local beaches for big waves or just observing the grandeur of nature with all its beauty and wonder.

The Winter Solstice took place on December 21 so now the days are beginning to get longer. The Solstice is my winter holiday, that and New Year’s Day. Family and friends are still a top focus for me during the Holiday Season, but my happy holiday place is at one of the beaches that divide the Pacific Ocean from Southern California. Actually, It’s my happy place all year ‘round.

Tim Forkes with his dogs Jackson and Chica (John Smith)

In one of my latest stays as an inpatient at the VAMC in La Jolla I began experimenting with the religion I grew up with — Catholicism. I enjoy some of the rituals, but not because they offer any connection to supernatural deities or spirituality, it’s nostalgia, plus, they are peaceful and fill me with some serenity. Hmmm, I guess there is a bit of a contradiction here. If I’m getting some serenity from those ancient Catholic rituals, then maybe they are spiritual for me.

Out here (below) that’s my church.

The Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego, CA getting pummeled by the high surf (Tim Forkes)

Interestingly enough, I felt that same spirituality while visiting Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado during the winter

Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado (Tim Forkes)

For several years my meditative focus all year ’round has been all the people, places and things for which I’m grateful and the fullness and beauty of our world is on that list. So this morning, as I prepare for the day, which will include a nice prime rib dinner — Christmas is always a good time for feasting — I will meditate on everything and everyone that has brought me to this moment and this place — and that includes the folks who read this. Enjoy the Holidays.

One thing to note about this Christmas morning: one of our little pups, Chica, is laying in my bed behind me snoring.

Chica sleeping under a blanket (Tim Forkes)

Life doesn’t get much better than this.

Chica waiting for some attention (Tim Forkes)

One thought on “Happy Holidays, From the Mountains to the Seas

  • January 2, 2025 at 9:20 pm
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    Great read. Tim hopefully you have alot of years to come.

    Kathy

    Reply

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