All Good Things....

Early Sunday I got up dressed and ready to go by nine. I made the trip downtown on the most beautiful of May mornings. The sun came through the clear blue with little distraction and the birds chirped happily about. From the short walk from the parking lot towards Lake Street I could see the boats mooring in the distance--sleeping giants attuned to wave motion. I met Stephen at his apartment for a small breakfast before going to church.

When we got to St. Paul's University Catholic Center we were greeted with friendly smiles and abundant handshakes. It was a warm reception for me who had only wanted to see what it was all about. In my introduction to Mass I noticed across the way Prof. Narciso in the front. He was in attendance with his wife. Once service was over I went home to wake up Diana, another sleeping giant.

I took my younger sister out for lunch at the Badgerland Bar & Grill before running small errands. We came back downtown for a nice day sail but winds had picked up after noon and the blue flag was raised. The sun and sky was still very perfect but heavy winds had come in from the West. Wave and wind worked in unison, as if on queue, to capsize a tech at the pier. I went out there to check out the commotion and saw a handful of heavy wind testouts.

Since this was my first blue flag day of the season I signed up on the spot for my testout. Stephen had signed on as well so we took turns jibing and tacking the powerful force along the wind clock. After a successful capsize and landing both he and I were awarded with our heavy ratings. Once I returned to the pier I had Diana get in the boat and we went out riding on the choppy waves. It was an exhilarating feeling of flying through the water in 25 mph winds and hiking out to balance the force of the sail. Once back on land I started folding my mainsail when I ran into Ryan and her husband returning from the lake. Apparently the rough winds had knocked them into the early-season cold waters.

After taking my sister home I got cleaned up and had a bit of time before going into work. I met up with David at the Union Terrace for a drink and talk. A little later Kelly dropped by as we chatted about the weekend. With the early evening the winds calmed and chirping birds now replaced by chatty patrons. By now the splendor of the Madison sunset was looming. It's really a shame that all good things must come to an end.

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Nothing is forever.
And the time comes when we must all say goodbye to the world we knew--
Goodbye to everything we had taken for granted.
Goodbye to those we thought would never abandon us.

And when these changes finally do occur,
when the familiar has departed
and the unfamiliar has taken its place.
All any of us can really do is to say hello
and welcome.