Celebration: 1965 Family Trip to Florida

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

1965 Family Trip to Florida

Our family made several trips to Florida when we were young. These trips always included stops at Weeki Wachee. This 1965 trip included a tour of Busch Gardens.

I'm sure my swim suit was all the rage for vogue 1960's children! I know we maintained the same type beachwear in subsequent Florida trips!

The last few frames reveal my bandaged finger, wounded in the shutting of a car door. I have ice-skating pictures, with the same type of wound. I was always getting caught with my finger in the car door. Who was shutting the door???

I ended up pursuing synchronize swimming as a tweener because of these family trips to Weeki Wachee, a spring-fed lake in Florida that has been fashioned into an underground water theater. It's like watching mermaids swimming in an aquarium.

Later trips to Florida included stops at an wild west re-enactment town, where the action happened all around the patrons, and ended in a very exciting shoot-out. I fell deeply in love with the the bad guy, all dressed in black; and was sure we'd marry when I had grown a foot or two. I looked forward to our reunion every trip....Where are those slides???

I was convinced that I would grow up to work at Weeki Wachee, and build a home with my cowboy bad guy. I did end up marrying a practical pistol shooter who is planning to be a "Cowboy Action Shooter" when he has aged a year or two. Hmmm... I wonder if he'll choose black for his costume? ...Where is that synchronize swim suit?

4 comments:

alisafye said...: Love the slide show! You have got to make a book out of your blog. It's like your life story. So fun.; July 10, 2008 at 1:53 PM
Shawn Telford said...: Tina,
I was going to mention the same thing as Alisa. My hubby sent me a site where you can have your blog made into a book. Your journaling and history is very special...your family would love this as a keepsake.
I love blogs just because we are able to learn so much about other people. It was fun reading about you!; July 11, 2008 at 1:40 PM
Cyndi said...: Holy Cow, you're bathing suit is so funny. You are the cutest little girl. I love all the pictures you have. What treasures!; July 12, 2008 at 10:11 PM
Samantha said...: And to think I complain about how hard it is to find a modest swimsuit for my girls! When will Emilie move to Idaho? What on earth will you do without her?! ... Maybe take a day-trip to Jackson?? ;); July 14, 2008 at 12:17 AM

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Steps

Do one thing at a time. The world's greatest achievements were made by people who gave the task in front of them their undivided attention. Tackling multiple activities at once might feel efficient, but is it really productive? Is giving each task 30% of your attention for three hours as effective as giving each task 100% of your attention for one hour each? If something doesn't deserve your undivided attention, maybe it's not worth doing at all.

Slow down. Why the rush? If what you're doing is important enough to warrant your time, you might as well enjoy it. Cleaning the house for an hour with your favorite music playing and your bottom shaking is better than cleaning the house in half that time but in a frantic state of mind. Plus, if you're having fun with your chores, maybe other people will be tempted to join. Don't just "get it over with"--find a way to make every activity something that you look forward to doing.

Stop being a perfectionist. High standards have their place--when performing surgery, for example, or designing a building--but when applied to other areas of your life (your appearance, your home's appearance, your hobbies, your handwriting, whatever) you're practically inviting anxiety into your life. That doesn't mean you shouldn't have any standards at all; it's when you start stressing out about the details that you need to ask yourself: "Will doing this right now make me truly happy? Will it make me a better person? Will it make the world a better place?" Usually, the answer is no. Don't allow perfectionism to become the enemy of your potential.

Step aside. When you close your eyes and imagine your role in the world, do you see yourself as Atlas, the mythological Titan, holding the weight of the world on your shoulders? Do you feel like you want to relax, but worry that if you do, everything will fall apart? If so, you need to delegate some responsibility. You might think other people won't do as good a job, but that's the thing: they'll never do it just like you do. So give them responsibility, give them advice, and pass the reins. Don't be surprised if they make mistakes; just be there to support them, and let them fix (and learn from) their mistakes. Not only will this take some weight off of your shoulders, but it can be very fulfilling to watch someone grow and mature as a result of your guidance.

Remember that it's not the end of the world. Many people spend their entire lives trying to prevent bad things from happening. But guess what? They happen anyway. And life goes on. That's not to say you shouldn't take any kinds of precautions in life, but if the majority of your thoughts are consumed in contingency planning, you're not enjoying life. You're preventing it. When you're feeling threatened by things that haven't happened yet, remember these words by Ralph Waldo Emerson: Some of your hurts you have cured, And the sharpest you still have survived, But what torments of grief you endured From the evil which never arrived.

Focus on what you have, not what you have to do. Sometimes we trick ourselves into thinking I have to straighten this up...I have to correct him...I have to stop her..." but the truth is, we don't have to do anything. You can walk away from any task, any time. Try replacing every "have to" with a "want to" and see if the statement still holds. Meaning, is it something that you'll look back on when you're in your deathbed and be happy you did? Probably not. So appreciate what you have, while you have it.

Tips

When bad things happen (and they will, no matter what) shrug and smile. Remind yourself that:

Life goes on.
Don't LET THINGS make you upset or angry. Remember its your choice to get bent out of shape. Learn from the experience. Focus on the big picture.
You win some, you lose some.
You can't please everybody.
We live and learn.

Shift your mindset so that you concentrate on what makes you feel happy, not on what makes you feel safe.

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Celebration

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

1965 Family Trip to Florida

4 comments:

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