by Chris Raymer, Vice President of Recovery Services, Origins Behavioral HealthCare

“If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system”. — William James

Myers (not the evil twin) and I turned 65 in September. This birthday got my attention more than others. Maybe the constant notices from AARP and Medicare helped. Guess I need to get comfortable with being a legit old geezer!

Quick story. Few years back I got diagnosed with arthritis in my ankles. Back in my drinking days I had a habit of stepping off curbs wrong. No idea how many times I hit the ground. Almost broke it good in Iceland once sober! Anyway, it never bothered my cycling but I limped a lot just walking.

Myers and I were on South Padre Island a while back and he suggested we walk some. Amazingly the ankles started feeling better. These days I walk a lot. Miles in the evenings. Sunsets on South Padre are pretty special!

I was trying to do my five miles the other evening. Going at a pretty good clip, started to think about work, travel, just stuff. Completely distracted. The roads on South Padre are razor straight. You can literally see from one end to the other in spots. About a half mile down I see a mother with a little kid. He was maybe 3 years old. Being conscience of the fact that I wear an eye patch, I started moving over so I wouldn’t freak the little kid out. (Sometimes it scares ‘em I guess.)

I got about 10 feet away from them and this little guy starts yelling LOUD about something. Speaking Spanish, I don’t have a clue what he’s saying. He’s pointing at me and talking a hundred miles an hour, but he’s smiling so I’m not too worried. I get even with them and I smile at them and the mom, holding the excited kid back, says in English “He wants you to see the rainbow.”  They’re both laughing. I look to my right and there’s one of the brightest rainbows I have ever seen. A big double rainbow.

I’d been walking for more than an hour and never saw it. Awake but asleep as my old sponsor used to say.

Grateful that a 3-year-old woke me up! Here’s the question of the day: How many miracles do we miss on a daily basis, worrying about things we often can’t change anyway? This old geezer doesn’t want to miss anymore rainbows.

Y’all stick close. And wake up!

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