Some people have said to me, off and on over the years, that things tend to show up in life when you need them. The front-row parking space in the rain when you have a sick child to carry. The sofa bed at the garage sale the same day old friends call to say they’re coming to spend a long weekend.
What makes these incidents so cool is the fact that timing just isn’t that perfect most days. Many times the front-row parking space isn’t open until you’re carrying the sick child out to the far side of the lot wrapped in an improvised grocery-bag rain cape, and the sofa bed isn’t spotted until the last afternoon of the out-of-towners’ visit.
I didn’t read the following information in Natalie Angier’s book, The Canon, until the day after a four-flight trip concluded: “You would have to fly on a commercial airline every day for 18,000 years, he tells them, before your chances of being in a crash would exceed 50 percent. You want to know what 18,000 years looks like? Think ‘twice as far back as the dawn of agriculture.’”
It was two days after the flights before I remembered the box of Kiwanis peanuts in our kitchen, and considered how fun it would be to have taken those along and shared the packets with other travelers in the now peanutless skies.
But I did come across the book of six-word memoirs, Not Quite What I Was Planning, in just the nick of time. I was attempting to journal some notes about our family vacation to Puerto Rico, working at jotting down enough information to capture my favorite parts and be able to resurrect the sights, sounds, and emotions at some distant future point, but without making the project such a slog that I would lose all motivation to do it. Procrastinating, I flipped through Not Quite What I Was Planning, making a list of the brief memoirs that appealed most to me:
“Afraid of everything. Did it anyway.” Ayse Erginer
“Slightly psychotic, in a good way.” Patricia Neelty
“Macular degeneration. Didn’t see that coming.” Ian Gould
“Found true love, married someone else.” Bjorn Stromberg
“Followed white rabbit. Became black sheep.” Gabrielle Maconi
“Seventy years, few tears, hairy ears.” Bill Querengesser
Later, taking pen in hand again, it occurred to me that if these people could pack such a punch in only six words about their lives, there was every reason to believe my vacation journaling could be done in the same style. I may never journal any other way again.
Denver morning, Dallas afternoon, island evening.
Speak Spanish to taxidriver, learn words.
Seaside trail, fort walls, history calls.
Unique fountains call for open enjoyment.
Rent car, get lost, buy map.
110 miles by 40 is huge.
Roadside stand, unusual food, super breakfast.
Climb rainforest tower, see for miles.
The Atlantic seems deeper from here.
When in rain forest, bring umbrellas.
Husband, daughter, in waterfall; I’m dry.
Noisy forest full of loud frogs.
Winding, switchback roads, with papaya trees.
This map is not to scale.
East side to west side, awesome.
Arecibo radio telescope, reading the sky.
Thunder is louder in the mountains.
Rincón sounds beautiful, and it is.
Lemon Tree, home away from home.
You can drink the water here.
Bright sunny mornings, cozy rainy afternoons.
Crystal clear water, turquoise swimming beach.
Caribbean has more colors in person.
Large brown pelicans dive straight down.
Nurse sharks don’t bother with people.
Rainy day, long book, sheer joy.
There’s even time to cook here.
Popcorn tastes better by the sea.
Graduated daughter, college soon, together today.
Early morning, looong walk, late breakfast.
Snorkeling gear, sunny water, jeweled fish.
Collecting with daughter, memories and shells.
We laugh more while on vacation.
Hermit crabs have interesting, full lives.
Fire ants know people like shade.
Dairy cows near beach watch people.
Some dogs swim in the surf.
I’m surprised we remembered the sunscreen.
We should have photographed the eel.
Some fishermen share with the birds.
Jellyfish can be returned to life.
When walking a beach, have pockets.
Sometimes shells are still being used.
Tides come in when not expected.
It’s always worth looking around corners.
Thunderstorms cause waves that bring coconuts.
Ron can open coconuts without machetes.
Suitcases have been known to shrink.
The return drive is new, too.
Remember, map is not to scale.
Sheila accidentally finds culinary festival downtown.
Learning languages makes more stories available.
Learn more about the Chupacabra legend.
Puerto Rico is two flights away.
Next time I’m taking the peanuts.
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