Grab The Brass Ring……

and don’t let go!

Back in the day when riding a Carousel was the thing to do at a Fair, there was a machine that dispensed rings as the Carousel went round and round. Most of the rings were nickel but once in a while there was a Brass Ring and if you reached waaaay out and grasped it, you won a prize! Winning a Brass Ring was a goal and ambition for some as winning a free ride was a real treat. Then big corporations decided to make grabbing a Brass Ring a way of defining success for their employees. Employees were strongly encouraged to work incredibly hard and reach and grab for success,  many times at the expense of family and friends as they crawled up the corporate ladder.

But for me, the best definition of reaching for the Brass Ring is LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST, however you define it for yourself. Now doesn’t that sound wonderful? Live your life, my life to the fullest. But not so easy, is it? We get so caught up in every day life, geesh, just trying to survive sometimes that it’s darn near impossible to do anything else. But, that’s not why we’re here on this earth. Let’s turn that around a bit because I remember so many times that I had to get myself and the kids out and live life to the fullest in order to survive all the every day stress. You come back restored and ready to face it all again.

Nature has always been my source of solace,inspiration and many times just plain old fun. Long walks by rivers and lakes or through the woods or hiking in the mountains. I never know what I will see or find, but I am never disappointed.That’s how I sometimes grab the Brass Ring and live life to the fullest. So, let me tell you about our Sunday walk through the woods. Stay with me to the end because I have a surprise for you. And it’s a grand, fun one!

Let’s grab the Brass Ring.

I was feeling kind of slug like this past Sunday. Wanting to go outdoors but not really wanting to travel too far or be too strenuous. Remembering a place 3 km away that always had cars parked there and a road that lead straight downhill into who knows what, I have wanted to investigate for quite a while. It looked like this road, well, a path really, headed down into a valley. I wondered if the Mangfall River was down there somewhere. Sparky agreed to go with me as long as I didn’t go “too far.” Ha! And here’s how it went.

Into the woods. But where?

We walked to the bottom of this Gorge. Long and steep with trees lining the paths. Getting to the bottom, we were faced with a choice.

A Fork in the road. So we opted for the road less traveled and that “made all the difference.”

The scenery wasn’t dramatic but sometimes that is the best kind. The simple pure beauty of Mossy knees.

The early wild flowers daring to poke their delicate heads above ground.

Sweet violet Gentians

To quietly watch the dappled sunlight on a forest pond just coming to life this Spring.

And to marvel at the incredible height of the German pines. I couldn’t tip my head back far enough to see the tops!

Ahhh….and there she is, my beloved Mangfall river far below us. She has flowed far from where we usually see her. Now wild instead of humanly contained.

Running my hands down the whispery green moss on the tree trunks.

After an hour, we headed back and that’s when we noticed a whole different perspective.

The Church hidden high on the crest of the Bluff above us. Every tiny Hamlet, even with 5 houses, has a Kirche.

The trains unexpectedly cutting through the trees taking families to and from their Sunday outings.

Once we climbed out of the gorge, it would only do to find the Church. Ok…stay with me because it’s coming! What? The surprise, of course!

Their simplicity of design is what makes them so beautiful in the Bavarian blue sky.

If we hadn’t gone for our walk we would never have seen this marker in the corner of an old, old house.

1743

OK…ready? Because this is what Grabbing the Brass Ring and living life to the fullest is all about. We could have stayed home. We could have taken a nap or watched television or sat on the deck. But instead we headed out on an adventure to see what we could see. And THIS is what we saw!

Dan and I laughed out loud as charging up the hill came a herd of Camels! Camels! Out in the nowhere country of Bavaria, Germany came this amazing sight! We’re not in Saudi Arabia, or Egypt or India. We’re in Germany! And this made our day! Our batteries were recharged. Our smiles were huge and we have yet another story to tell about grabbing The Brass Ring and living the good life.

Whatever the Brass Ring is for you, my friends, I hope you reach waaay out and grab it. It sure doesn’t have to be something dramatic. Sometimes a simple walk in the woods on a Sunday afternoon is living life to the fullest. Life goes by way to fast to not live it to fullest however you define it!

And so my friends, wherever your journey leads you this week, I wish you happiness, peace and love and a herd of Camels!

Karen, TJG