Capture the Good in Preparation of its End

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 93

Jul 04, 2024

Hi, Friends!

I’m back from my beach vacation, or ‘bacation’ as my two-year-old granddaughter would say.

It’s already July! Time flies when you’re having fun. Isn’t that what a vacation is about - having fun and building memories and traditions, like beach vacations and 4th of July celebrations?

In this newsletter:

The problem with vacations and special celebrations.
The effort to capture good.
A Fourth to remember.

Geoffrey Chaucer Was Right

“But at the laste, as every thing hath ende, She took hir leve, and nedes wolde wende.” from the poem, Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer

We now hear this quote as “all good things must come to an end.”

Returning home from vacation is another reminder of that. If we stayed on vacation all the time, vacation wouldn’t be special and something to look forward to.

If you are like me, you may start thinking and planning your next vacation as soon as the one you are on ends, maybe even before it ends. The same may be true for celebrations, birthdays, holidays.

We put much planning into these special events. Then in a flash, they are over.

It’s nice to have something fun to look forward to; it’s like a reward in many ways. When it comes to an end, then what?

How do you capture the magic of the good you experienced and keep it with you?

Capture The Good

The trick to dealing with the end of a good thing is to capture it and carry it with you.

I’ve written about creating memories (What’s the Best Way to Create Memories? Nov. 3, 2023); depending on your good thing, you may have already made memories to carry with you.

My go-to strategies for capturing the good I experience are taking photos and/or writing about the good in my journal—some of that good I share with you. I’ve already uploaded pictures from our beach vacation to my photo app, which automatically shows them.

Sometimes, the good is noteworthy enough to become a tradition. Perhaps it’s vacationing at the beach with friends annually for 20 years (that’s me) or serving in a soup kitchen every Thanksgiving. Any tradition that brings you back to the good you experience works.

We need to lessen the disappointment of the end of a good thing by finding a way to carry the good with us.

How you capture and carry the good with you is up to you.

Some Good Times Are Easy To Remember

While living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the early 90s, each year we would go to the east end of Biloxi’s front beach to watch the 4th of July fireworks display. The fireworks were set off from Deer Island, a small island less than a mile off the mainland.

The front beach was the perfect place to view the fireworks. No matter where you sat on the beach, you had an unobstructed view as they shot up from Deer Island.

If you have ever watched a fireworks display, you know the show is like a story. It builds slowly, culminating in a grand finale.

One 4th of July, just after the fireworks began, there was a bright explosion on the island, followed by a magnificent burst of fireworks in the sky above the water. Wow, if that was the start, what would the finale be like?

We waited for the next round, but nothing happened.

The bright explosion on the island was an accident that set off all the fireworks, hence the magnificent display and no others to follow.

It was good no one was hurt. It also left a good memory of a magnificent (although short) fireworks display.

I didn’t take any pictures. I wasn’t writing at the time. I only have my memory of this accidental yet, magnificent display of fireworks, making this 4th of July special.

It went by in a flash, leaving a bright memory filled with wonder.

Whether it’s a vacation or a celebration, I hope you stay safe and find a way to move forward carrying some good with you.

Here are two of my favorite memories from our beach vacation.

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

I’m grateful to have the opportunity to experience my granddaughters’ first beach experience. The youngest has a love/hate relationship with the beach. The top picture was snapped in a love moment. The oldest definitely loved the beach. I caught her dancing in the surf in the bottom picture.
It’s good to share new experiences with family members of all ages. You gain a personal perspective and a perspective from the others. Everyone’s experience is a little different.
A quote: “In the end, kids won’t remember that fancy toy or game you bought them, they will remember the time you spent with them.” – Kevin Heath
It’s good to get away on any kind of vacation. It increases your opportunity to find good and make memories.
If you are experiencing a first for the entire family, it’s good to create a family journal. At the end of each day, have each family member record their favorite part. If they are too young to write, they can draw a picture and you can write the caption.
Want to know a little more about Deer Island? Check out this website. You may want to put this on your destination list.
Summer is often a time when we indulge in activities that are not typical of our daily lives. It’s important to remember to stay safe. Check out these summer safety tips and water safety tips.

Thank you for reading. This summer, take some time to capture the good wherever you go.

📩👀**And check out my invitation to any interested journalers at the bottom of this post!

Until next time,

💚

Susan

Do you have a special way to celebrate summer? Leave a comment and tell me about them.

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