On this day I’m writing it is my 50th birthday. Yes, I somehow made it this far. I’ve been a bit too much of a rolling stone to have a big party with lots of friends over. Many friends of mine don’t even know where I am at the moment. One of these days I’ll figure out where I’m supposed to be, if there is such a place.

I’ve been on the couch a bit reluctant to write, but still had that nagging feeling to get it done. I’ve had an interesting twist of events happen lately, and not completely sure about the outcome.

I traveled from Sedona to Las Vegas for my birthday, and the real celebrating was done over the weekend. A friend I have not seen in quite some time was gracious enough to spend time with me, for which I am very thankful. I was treated to a wonderful dinner Saturday night with a view overlooking the water fountain display at the Bellagio. It was a indeed a memorable evening.

I had planned to stay in Vegas for the following week, but ended up travelling to California. I had planned to come to Cali right when the pandemic caused everything to shut down earlier in the year, so I ended up canceling reservations and staying with family in Arkansas instead. So although I finally made it out here, it is definitely a different world compared to how I remember it. I mean, the places are the same, but seeing everyone wearing masks, which I am for, not against, seeing bars shut down in Vegas, seeing “Closed due to Covid-19” signs everywhere really made for a slightly different feel. On top of that, I remember smelling smoke from the fires while driving through California. It’s a different place, but still glad to be here.

At the same time I’m lucky to be able to travel, I’m also feeling uncertain as to where I need to be. I have plans for what I need to be doing, but the location factor is playing out very differently from my last trek out west. At the same time that I’m doing all I can to take care of business, I feel like I need to have my whereabouts mapped out better than I do, when at the same time I want the future to be open ended, at least for now. Sedona felt like I was just meant to be there, and now the future feels more uncertain. I guess that’s just how life works. Sometimes it feels right, and other times it feels, well, uncertain. I have my basic outline in mind, and it’s just going to be part of my job to create the content.