Today I had the opportunity to help deliver gifts to about 25 elderly persons living in La Paz County. Many generous individuals brought tons of gifts to KLPZ 1380am Studios in response to their yearly “Elder Tree” goodwill project.
One woman stands out in my mind…
June is in her late 80s and lives alone in a small trailer in Quartzsite. She has to use a walker to get around and even then she struggles. She answered the door in tears. She was happy to see us, but overwhelmed with emotion because her dog had just died. You see, that little dog was family. That dog was her best friend. That dog was her only companion in a life that has become lonely and filled with inconveniences and pain.
I’m sure she has family. I’m sure she has friends.
I’m sure there are people out there besides us that could visit her, but where are they?
Everyday she and countless others awake to a world filled with body aches, age-impaired movements, and other physical/mental limitations. Their homes should not just be waiting rooms for Heaven.
By the time we left for the other drop-offs her spirits were higher. We were only there for about 10 minutes and she now wore a smile. Imagine that, just a few minutes and her day was better.
Who can you change in a few short minutes?
It’s strange returning to life after being gone for sixty plus days on the road.
No more setting up camp.
No more taking down camp.
No more riding hours upon hours and miles upon miles.
No more lower back pain.
No more making friends out of perfect strangers.
No more dates that make you wonder, “How is she single?!”
No more dates that make you realize why she’s single!
No more late night arrivals at campgrounds.
No more sleeping in a tent and hearing wild animals at night.
No more getting busted in a national park.
No more searching for super cheap motels at 3am.
No more getting lost.
No more mental complaining over the price of gas.
No more extended moments of personal reflection.
No more speeding tickets.
No more dollar menus.
No more daily blogging.
No more nightly video editing.
No more trying to open a Gatorade while riding 80 mph.
No more bundling up in a sleeping bag.
No more random placing of my biz card at landmarks.
No mas Midwest Mexican food.
No more bugs hitting my face.
No more singing to Katy Perry songs on the PCH.
No more self-taken pics in front of state “Welcome” signs.
No more busted ankles, sore shoulders, or kinked neck.
No more Biker Bachelor.
How does one return to life after an experience like this?
It’s strange returning.
New job.
New place to live.
New view of life.
New outlook.
New memories.
New problems.
New friends.
New passions.
New goals.
New expectations.
New understandings.
New stresses.
New joys.
New Life.
New Josh.
It’s strange.
I just ate dinner at the same table that Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, and James Cagney ate at years ago!!
That was a good dinner pilgrim…
HAHAHAHA!