1. I started the day with some writing and a small day after Thanksgiving breakfast. I like dressing and fried eggs, so I heated up some cornbread dressing and fried two eggs and enjoyed bits of dressing dipped in egg yolk. I added some bite to my meal with a small scoop of cranberry sauce.
2. Periodically, Luna and Copper's litter pans need to be emptied, scrubbed out with soapy water, and refreshed with brand new litter. When it's warmer outside, I rinse out the pans with water from a hose. Today, I figured out how to do this job indoors. We don't have a utility sink, so I filled one half of our two section bucket with soapy water, emptied each litter pan, scrubbed them out, and rinsed them with a little shower water, kept the rinse water in the pans, and poured it into the other half of the divided bucket. I dumped the bucket outside when I was finished.
This method worked perfectly. It also made me feel good. I'm diligent about scooping Luna and Copper's clumps and other bits out of the litter boxes at least once a day -- sometimes I do it twice. I want them to have as clean as possible a place to do their business. Now, not only are the pans scooped out, they are fresh, scrubbed out, and clean. I wouldn't doubt if my attention to their litter pans makes me happier than it does Luna and Copper, but I let myself think they appreciate it.
3. Around 12:30 or so, I vaulted into the Sube and blasted over to Coeur d' Alene. Stu and I met at the Mobil station on the far east end of Sherman and I drove the Sube to a side street, parked it, and got into Stu's truck.
We then drove to Yates Funeral Home in Hayden (first we went to the wrong Yates home on 4th St.), arrived a little late, but experienced the bulk of Mike Windisch's funeral service.
I admit, I'm not 100% faithful to this maxim, but I try to live by the words, "Just show up".
I began to live by this maxim over twenty years ago while working at LCC and took note of certain people who just showed up at plays, retirement celebrations, lectures, memorials for those who had died, and other events and how impressed I was that they were there, even if they weren't particularly close to the presenter, the cast, the retiree, or the deceased. Their presence was a demonstration of support that made a lasting impression on me.
So, when Stu told me earlier in the week that Mike Windisch had died, I began to think that I needed to show up at his funeral, even though I never knew Mike Windisch. You see, Mike Windisch's brother, Don, is a lifelong friend of mine and is married to Jeri Robinson, another lifelong friend, not only of mine, but of our family. In fact, I can't remember a single day in my nearly 68 years that I didn't know Don, thanks, in the beginning, to Sunday school, or Jeri, thanks to our mothers being friends from childhood in Orofino and our dads being friends from childhood in Kellogg.
In showing up to this funeral today, yes, I paid my respects to Mike, but Stu and I attended largely to support Don and Jeri with our physical and loving presence.
As so often happens when I don't make excuses and stay home, but just show up, great things occur.
Today, for example, I learned what a great man my lifelong friend Don's older brother was. Mike was a generous, adventurous soul, a devoted husband and father, and a person eager to extend himself to the aid of others. His son and son-in-law told moving stories about Mike's good nature, his positive attitude, and his habit of going well beyond what might be expected of him to help others, especially in his job running the resort at Sun Up Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene.
All of this was beautifully reinforced in the slide show commemorating Mike Windisch's full and well-lived life.
Because Stu and I showed up, we got to talk for a long time at the reception with Don and Jeri.
Stu had to get home after the reception for good reasons, but thanks to just showing up, I got to meet with Jeri and Don for a beer (a PORTER from Kona Brewing!) at Paddie's. After we got in some very solid yakking there, we sashayed over to Cosmic Cowboy and continued our awesome conversations over dinner (and, for me, a pint of 10 Barrel's very tasty Pub Lager).
I spent the afternoon with three friends I've known for as long as I've been conscious: Stu, Jeri, and Don.
It was awesome.
Having had such a heart warming time with lifelong friends today underscored to me that whether it's a reunion, Thanksgiving at The Lounge, a funeral, a family wedding far away, a couple of nights with friends at the casino, online gatherings like the Tree House Concerts or once every two weeks ZOOMiing, playing trivia in Spokane with friends I've known for decades, and so many other things, it matters, it matters a lot, to just show up.
As a postscript, let me add that I had been so stimulated what happened this afternoon that when I arrived home, went next door and fed Grayson (Christy's cat), and sat down with Debbie in the living room, I so enjoyed the quiet of our house and conversation with Debbie that I decided not to watch tonight's game between Gonzaga and Duke. I wanted to wind down The game would have wound me back up. I checked the score of the game throughout its progress, but as much as I love watching college basketball, tonight I loved spending a quiet evening in meandering conversation with Debbie even more.
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