Happy Trails

The trail is sunnier when it's shared by two.

March 4, 2025 :: Good Things

"Some trails are happy, others are blue.

It's the way you ride the trail that counts.

Here's a happy one for you."

-- from Happy Trails by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, cowboy & cowgirl actors

A happy trail in a Michigan woodland.

When I was a kid, I had no expectations of what I'd be when I grew up. Anything was possible -- astronaut, fireman, fighter pilot, deep-sea diver, cowboy.

My young dreams certainly didn't include paperboy, short-order cook, restaurant night-manager, garbage man or garden center horticulturist. And as much as I enjoyed camping, hiking and exploring wild places, nature photographer wasn't anywhere in my imagination either.

Yet here I am.

There are no straight paths in our lives. Sometimes that's a blessing even when it feels like a curse. It's up to us to make the most of whatever course the cosmos set us on. Or as Dale Evans put it in Happy Trails, "It's the way you ride the trail that counts."

More than 30 years ago, there was a seismic shift in my work life. I had to step away from a 20-year career path in horticulture and into the unknown. The aftershocks refocused me on my love of photography. That new course was far from straight, but I had more control over its twists and turns.

Now at the latest fork in the trail, I'm choosing a photographic route that guides me away from workshops and tours and sets me toward stories and essays. Here the ground beneath my feet is solid and the view ahead is peaceful and promising.

Looking back at the ground I've covered makes me appreciate the people and events I encountered to get here. The friends I've made and the places I've explored have filled my life with joy and wonder.

The one constant on the journey is Mary. Since we met long ago and far away high in the Rockies, she has made this adventure a team venture. And we're still looking toward the horizon for what comes next. Whatever it is, we'll explore it together.

"Who cares about the clouds when we're together?

Just sing a song, and bring the sunny weather."

-- from Happy Trails

Thank you, Mary.

The trail is always sunnier when I'm with you.

Related Journal entries: A Retiring Thought and The Nature of Love

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