YourDalyHug: A Year of Forgiveness (Down the Red Dirt Road)

2021 was an interesting year for sure. I recently heard the song Red Dirt Road by Brooks and Dunn. I have heard it before, but it struck a chord with me recently. One of the lyrics says "I learned the path to heaven is full of sinners and believers. Learned that happiness on earth ain't just for high achievers. I've come to know there's life at both ends of that red dirt road." I love that last line, there's life at both ends of that red dirt road. I think that speaks volumes to the times we are in. There's life at both ends of any road. And life worth living. Whether you are liberal or conservative. Republican or Democrat. Woman or Man. Black or White. Hispanic or Asian. Every end of these kinds of "roads" have life AND love. How about we all try to focus on that thought as we head into a new year.

While we are at it, let's also focus on forgiveness. I sure will. We have all done things and said things we are not proud of. God knows I have done and said more than my share. I try really hard to forgive myself of my short comings. This allows me to forgive others I believe. It is not easy, let me tell you! But I believe you have to forgive yourself to make it easier for you to forgive others. Just like you have to take care of yourself so you can take care of others. I really believe we MUST forgive others! Forgiveness is one of the easiest hard things to do. Easy because it takes no money, no time, and doesn't truly hurt anyone. Hard because it takes some humility, courage, and vision for a better future.

Let's also try to remember that things can look differently through someone else's eyes than it does through your own. Every life on earth has had ups and downs. You can never truly know what another person has been through. You can never know why they think the way they do or make decisions you may not agree with. This does not mean their decisions are wrong. It does not mean your decisions are wrong. It just means they are different. Just like every person on the planet is different from another. I told my niece and nephew recently that there are over 7 billion people on this planet, and NO two people are exactly the same! This makes YOU an extremely unique individual. It also makes the person next to you an extremely unique individual. Consider that, and truly think about it... as you talk to others, as you decide on how to treat others, and as you decide what to say to or about others. Can we do it? I am sure going to try harder from here on out.

Another great song that ties into these thoughts is "Nobody Right, Nobody Wrong" by Michael Franti and Spearhead. If you don't know his music, I recommend you look it up. He has such a great vibe and his lyrics are thought provoking. The following lyrics are from this song, and I personally love the sentiment. What are your thoughts on them? Any other lyrics or music you want to share with me? I would love to hear about it. These lyrics are

They say you got to choose your side and, when its done.
Nobody right, nobody wrong.
It ended in a great big fight and, when its done.
Nobody right, nobody wrong.

But how many people never ever broke a rule.
And how many people trying to get their kids to school
And how many people praying they only find a job.
And how many people are afraid of getting robbed.
Whoa Whoa, nobody knows.
And whoa whoa, only god knows.
Numbers escalate, wall street, crime rate.
From the Baghdad streets, to my city by the bay.

I have had a unique experience this year with forgiveness. My oldest brother died this summer after a cardiac event. The past few years have been a little strained between us. We chatted some and were friendly enough, but there was a bit of "separation" between us. As I watched him die, I silently forgave him of all the things I felt he did wrong. At the same time, I asked him to forgive me for all the things I did he felt were wrong.

At his funeral I reconnected with my other brother. I hadn't seen or spoken to him in 9 years. There was a lot of forgiving to be done on both sides of that fence. Our relationship sure isn't perfect, but it certainly feels better than it did the past 9 years. Forgiveness played a lead role in it I feel, as well as laughter. You could say my brother lives on one end of The Red Dirt Road, and I live on the other end. Yet there is life and love on both ends for sure.

The whole year wasn't just about forgiveness and heavy emotions though. There has been a lot of excitement generated in our home. Even though we haven't traveled much the past year, we have a grand new adventure we are working on. We bought a new home and are in the process of turning it into a Bed and Breakfast! I can't even explain how excited we are about this new endeavor. It has been a lot of work already, with more work to come. We have enjoyed the process, and it is going to be great we believe! I will be writing a blog about it, but I will give you the basic idea here (in case you don't read all my blogs) :0).

We will have 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms for our guests. 2 rooms with private bathrooms. 2 rooms to share one bathroom. And 2 rooms to share the last bathroom. We have 32 acres of land on a country road. We have a mix of prairie and pines on our property. So you can come and get away from it all and hide out at our place if you want. We also have some walking trails and a lot of nature to be enjoyed. We have various creatures on our property which include, but are not limited to... Deer, coyotes, fox, raccoons, rabbits, snakes, butterflies, and a plethora of birds. The birds include, but are not limited to... Eastern Bluebirds (my fave), Cardinals (Connie's fave), woodpeckers (4 different kinds), chickadees, nuthatches, finches, and two resident Great Horned Owls. Just to name a few. We also get seasonal birds like Juncos, Orioles, Grosbeaks, Hummingbirds, and more. We also get the occasional bald eagle flying by. Just 1 mile away there is a group of 3 Whooping cranes that hang out in the farmer's fields in the summer. Whooping cranes are a rare bird, and in fact there are only about 884 of them left in the entire world! Oh, did I mention we are big Bird Nerds here? Katie says she does not have a favorite bird and she loves all the birds. Of course Connie and I love all the birds as well! But there is something about an Eastern Bluebird that makes me smile. Maybe it is because I can actually see its colors. Ha Ha

Along with all that our B&B will have to offer, we feel it is a great location as well. Like I said, we are nestled in the country. We only have a few neighbors on our road. Yet we are close to action if that is what you seek. It is only 8 miles to The Wisconsin Dells, which is a big tourist spot in the summer. It has several water parks, go-kart rides, 2 animals parks, and plenty of restaurants to choose from. It also has some nature areas to visit such as Mirror Lake. You can even take a Duck Tour to see the Bluffs up close. We are 4 miles from downtown Baraboo. In Baraboo you can enjoy some antique shopping, wineries, breweries, a free zoo, and the famous Circus World Museum. We are about 6 miles from Devil's Lake State Park, which is a big attraction for nature lovers. We are 5 miles from a casino, if that is your thing. We are only about 7 miles from 2 ski hills, for the winter adventurers. Also, we are a short trip to one of the last remaining free ferry rides in the country. It takes you across The Wisconsin River in 7 minutes or so. There is ice cream on either end of the ferry ride, for those hot summer days. We have multiple hiking trails nearby for day trippers, including several sections of the Ice Age Trail. Parfrey's Glen is a popular destination as well. As you can see, we have a lot going on within a 30 mile radius. Most of it is within 10 miles. Yet we are tucked away a little, where you can engulf yourself in some serenity if you like.

Our plan is to open in May of 2022. This allows us time to get some of the fine tuning done that we want. We want to paint all of our walls to a color scheme that Connie and Katie have picked. The colors they picked are beautiful! We want to add a bathroom and an outdoor patio with a fire pit. Plus it means we will open right before the busiest season for tourist. This should get us off on the right track. We will be running our B&B as a Family Owned and Operated business. We have 3 equal partners. Katie is The Talent. She will do all the cooking. Let me tell you, she makes some delicious vegan/vegetarian meals. Did I mention we will only be serving vegan/vegetarian options? We like the healthfulness of this option, plus it is what we eat. We only serve breakfast, so that leaves lunch and dinner for you to eat meat and whatever else you might want. Connie will be The Planner. She has already done a lot of that in setting up the rooms and décor, etc. Along with Katie's input. Connie will help our guests organize or plan activities if they like. Like I said, there is a lot to do nearby and it can be overwhelming. Not to mention time consuming. I will be The Bookkeeper. My only true skill is being good with numbers. As long as I don't commit tax fraud accidentally, we should be successful. Ha Ha. Don't worry, we do have an accountant on board to help us along the way. And each of us will help with the cleaning, laundry, yard work, snow removal, etc. We truly believe we are setting ourselves up to be wildly successful. We sure hope our friends and family come stay with us to share in that success!

The other thing we have done this year is host a few friends. This has given us a taste of what it might be like to have guests in our home. We have gotten great feedback on what we have done well and what we can possibly improve. So thanks to all of our friends and family who have joined us on this journey already! I would mention all the friends and family that have visited, but I am sure I would leave someone out. So in lieu of not hurting anyone's feelings; Know that if you visited us this year, we really did enjoy your stay and appreciated your feedback. Maybe we will even see you again when we are a full functioning B&B :0).

As we move towards a new year, new beginnings, new adventures... I would like us all to consider our neighbors, families, friends, and enemies; And let us lean towards love rather than hate. Let us lean towards forgiveness rather than blame. And know that all humans are unique, worthy of love, and should be treated with kindness no matter what your beliefs are; No matter what their beliefs are. That is my Christmas Wish this year. Will you help grant it?

Of course, continue to count your blessings as well! I am continuing that from last years blog. My blessings fill my heart with Love, Laughter, Joy, Peace, and Happiness!

Have a Happy Holiday Season, may it be filled with Love and Laughter!!!