Futon, Meeting Victor, To Hell You Ride, Creating Beautiful People

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

We are wrapping up our last few hours in “To Hell You Ride.”  It’s a very cool town with a friendly vibe, great hiking trails; it was an excellent place to escape with my wife for a few days. After that, we will clean up our Air B and B, pack our car, get some breakfast before hitting the road back home. 

We were dining at the little house for lunch, and a man walked in without a mask.  A server motioned for him to mask up; the man walked 3 feet, sat down, and removed his mask.  I looked at my wife, and she shook her head as if to say, “I know it makes no sense, but keep quiet.”  I bit my tongue as I often do these days; I see things that make no sense and others just going along with the flow.  We are indeed living through exciting times.

I saw where our commander in chief is not mandating that businesses with over 100 employees get their team vaccinated.  Why 100?  Why not 99 or 76 or 23? So we are now just making up numbers and forcing folks to do things that they might not be recommended to do by their medical professional.  All the while, migrants walk across the border daily with no vaccine or testing to gauge their health status.

I should share I’m sitting on a futon; it’s the first futon I’ve sat on in many years.  My first wife and I had a futon; it was something mandated back in the ’90s. After that, no home could exist without a futon.  There used to be stores that sold only futons.  I will say it is comfortable and we had some fun on the futon.

Our bed is above me; it’s a bunk that you can access using a giant ladder.  The kitchen is to my left, and there is a lovely built-in table where my wife is sitting and getting some work done.  I would guess this space is maybe 400 square feet.   They know how to maximize space here in Telluride. I just pulled up the nearest condo for sale, three beds, four baths, and the listing price is $5,650,000.  I’m happy I live on a mountain, but this is a place we will visit now and then. 

We’ve got a busy week of work set up; we had a great week last year; our team hit a goal, it’s fun to watch them jam and gel as a team.  Next weekend we have a wedding for our friends, and then the following week, we head back to Indiana for a few days to catch up with our family, friends, and clients.

As we were winding down our afternoon, we stopped at High Pie and had a drink at the bar.  We met Victor from Durango; he was 48 years old and finished first in the Imogen race yesterday. So what is the Imogen race?  Twenty miles up 5000 feet and down 5000 feet.  People who live in the flatlands do not appreciate or understand the altitude and added extra levels of difficulty.   Victor was a massage therapist, and his wife was a medical professional that dealt with traumatic brain injuries.  There are beautiful people all over the earth; sometimes, you can find them with an outstretched hand and saying, “Hi, I’m insert your name here.”

The aspen trees are starting their movement to golden slumber.  In a couple of weeks, the green landscape will be turned gold, and it will be one of the most beautiful places on the earth.  If you have never been to Colorado when the Aspens turn, add that to your bucket list, it’s nature’s fireworks. The best time to catch them is at the end of September and the first couple weeks of October.

My friend Jeremy recommended a new book, Texas congressman Dan Crenshaw writes it.  We will listen to his story on the way home; I like his policies and think he is a possible future leader.   He lost one of his eyes in combat and returned to serve the people of Texas in the house of representatives.  We will audible it.

I bought my first cowboy hat here in Telluride.  A soft green olive hat, I’ve never been a hat wearer. But, about a month ago, I was in our downstairs and caught a hat I picked up in Hawaii; it’s a Jason Mraz hat, and I started wearing it and got a compliment, so I kept wearing it.  My wife got a new hat as well, but she has others; she’s a cowgirl. So, I think we will cowboy up for the upcoming wedding; I’ve got some nice boots, the continued evolution of the little boy from Beautiful Parker City.

Well, my word tank is running dry; I’ll wrap this up with a bit of homage to my sister.  My wife twisted her knee this past winter; she lost the use of her leg for a few days and then had to be extra careful when walking.  She healed, but it gave her some insight into how my sister manages life with one leg.  I’ve often joked about my one-legged sister, and that is her Twitter handle, so I can say that without too much blowback.  My sister lost her leg after getting hit by a drunk driver at 19 years of age for those new here. 

If you met her today, you would not notice anything is missing; she has a prosthesis, she walks fine, but it is something that she has to contend with every moment of her life. So I just want to say that my sister is my hero; she is an example of how to take an adverse experience and keep on trucking.  I love you, Paige Ann Palladino.

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross