The Dash In Between

Or "though the course may change rivers always run to the sea...."

I love it when other bloggers post a little thought, silly image, or funny meme; it's always like a little "pick-me up to the day."  That being said I've never been one of those bloggers to just upload some silly cat poster image with a quick witty quip.  I don't know, it seems like it could be me but it just ain't.  That being said I did come across a poem the other day that I decided I wanted to share.  Or rather someone I was listening to used the poem as their theme for a presentation and I'm just cut/pasting so to speak.  Let's be real why else would I come across poetry.  But this guy is a great speaker and he used this particular poem in a very inspiring way so I decided then to use it for a post and just cut/paste it here (spiritually) in lieu of a cheap cat image.

Oh hell, I'll throw in a cheap cat image too; what a deal!

Anyway, please take a quick read of this poem and maybe I'll try desperately to draw some conclusions from it!  Sorry the cat image is not exactly synchronous with the existential meaning of the poem.  But then again cat's are pretty veni vidi vici types of creatures and that may be what this poem is all about anyway.  And of course that gives me a chance to upload another funny image!

So here is that poem - it's pretty good.

The Dash In Between by Linda Ellis, 1996

​I read of a man who stood to speak

at the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on the tombstone

from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth

and spoke the following date with tears,

but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
the cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand
​the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

​So, when your eulogy is being read,
with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent YOUR dash?

So pretty deep for such a shallow guy such as I!

But you know it occurs to me that maybe this AM thing is that existential search for the "dash in between." After all, when we log onto AM are we not simply looking to add a little equity to our life's existence, a little pause on reality, in fact building on our "dash in between."

Well see now you've hooked me.  I knew I couldn't just let myself get away with a silly cat image.

So let me tell you about a little "dash in between" moment Sandee and I had a few weeks ago!   :)

In retrospect, the day seems almost like one of those romantic montage scenes in a movie where the two romantic leads spend the day seeing the whole city.  So I guess this would then be my montage to happiness, the summer, and "the dash in between."

It was one of those rare weekends where I was home alone and Sandee was too.  I knew this might not come around again so I wanted to plan something special.  I told her I wanted to take her up to Gettysburg.  I know you are saying, "Ryan romance and Civil War battlefields don't mix; you are a douch!"  But wait, I wanted to take Sandee to one of my favorite restaurants and I knew she would really enjoy many of the sites I would take her too.  It would be special.  Remember, she is pretty playful and kooky so you have to alter your logic a bit with her, which of course is why I like her so much!

We met at 10 am and started the trek north through the country.  I love Rt 15 as it meanders north of Frederick into the Catoctin Mountains.  We stopped first at the Shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes.  It is truly a beautifully serene area and I knew Sandee would love it; she did.

We then proceeded to Gettysburg.  I knew Sandee would be more interested in scenery and topography than history so I was bound for Devil's Den and Little Round Top.  Sandee loves a good horror story so I wanted to show her the"Sharpshooter's" place, supposedly still haunted by the spirit of the sharpshooter, angry that his dead body was moved to be immortalized in photo.  Additionally Sandee is a total Tomboy and I knew she would enjoy climbing on the rocks at Devil's Den.  From there we drove up towards Little Round Top.  I had been there before but Shannon would never agree to take a walk through the woods to see the famed area where the 20th Maine stood to secure the Union left flank on the climactic second day of the battle.  Sandee's an outdoor girl, she was glad to oblige.

From the 20th Maine position we took a brief walk up the remainder of the hill to what, in my opinion, is the best view of the area throughout the park.  The 44th New York Monument is built in the form of a Gothic castle.  You can climb the stone stairs to a viewing area that overlooks the entire area.  On a breezy sunny beautiful summer day it is gorgeous.  We just stood there and took in the landscape.

We got back in the car and drove through the center of the battlefield stopping briefly at the "high water mark" where Pickett's Brigade just did break through the Union center at the "copse of trees."  It was getting hot and I could tell Sandee was in fact obliging me at this point.  As much as I appreciated her obliging me to a degree Shannon would never stand, I didn't want to press.  I had promised her the best French Onion soup on Earth and I now wanted to deliver.  We drove over to the Dobbin House Inn.

The Dobbin House Inn is always a cool, tranquil rest and a step back in time.  This is one of my all time favorite restaurants and I really enjoyed showing it off to Sandee.  And yes, they have the best French King's Onion soup in the world.  I believe she enjoyed how much I enjoyed showing it too her.

After lunch we did a quick tour of the Gettysburg Address site and left a few pennies in tribute to Old Abe.

It was now mid-afternoon and so we ventured back south.

Along the way I detoured over to a falls area I had heard of but had not yet visited.  I'm glad we took the detour.  Embedded in the Catoctin Mountains, just west of Thurmont, this is a beautiful, peaceful area to hike.  Towards the apex of our walk we stopped at an outcropping of rocks.  The cool, smooth rocks were actually quite comfortable as we reclined and looked up at the clear blue sky.  Sandee laid her head on my chest and I slowly massaged her scalp.  For a few moments nothing else occurred in the world for us, it was as if time had stopped or that perhaps we were suspended in an allegorical snow globe of tranquility.

But it was getting close to 5 pm so we finished our walk and again turned south on Rt 15 towards home.

I pulled into the parking lot of the shopping center where we had met that morning.  Sandee started to say her goodbyes but I grasped her and pulled her close and kissed her.  From the way she pulled me into her I could tell she was not looking for a quick break.  I could not see myself letting her go.  I had not stopped the engine so I sat up and put the car back in drive and pulled forward.

Sandee meekly asked "what are you doing?"  I said, "I can't let you go."  She didn't protest.

I guess this is the part where I should have had a room reservation.  But I had thought earlier how open and empty my house was.  Without much thought I said "we can go back to my place."  How odd that statement felt, I've probably not said that in over 20 years.  Again, Sandee did not protest other than to say, "are you sure it's OK?"

Thankfully it was only a quick 10 minute drive to my house.  Luckily, there was none of the typical neighborhood play activity along the street.  Both sets of neighbors were on vacation.  I quickly pulled into the garage and clicked the door closed immediately upon entrance.

We gingerly walked into the house.  The animals of course ran up to greet us.  Sandee slyly stated "will they tell on us."  We both nervously laughed.  I showed Sandee the lovely view from our kitchen window over the woods in our back yard and told her of the deer, the birds, the ground-hogs, and even the occasional fox or turkey we sometimes see.  I saw her perusing the landscape.  I wondered if she thought about what life would be like if she lived here with me.  I wondered if she was thinking she liked the arched ceiling or if she would change the color if it was her house.

And then I thought, pictures!  Looking at pictures couldn't be a good thing.  I ushered her upstairs to the extra bedroom.  The room that had really been my room for many years now.

On cue I kissed her and we reclined, or rather collapsed, onto the bed.  To hold her and feel her body close next to mine in the comfort of a home was beyond seductive.  Sure I desired sex but to simply hold her was also meeting one of those high actualizing needs.

I didn't linger long on self-actualization as my hands ran up her dress and under her panties.  She was already wet as I probed into her and she paused our kiss to sigh as I rubbed inside her.

As I was pulling her panties down her legs she unbuttoned my shirt.  More kissing followed and more clothes were taken off.  It had been almost a year since I had felt her naked body next to mine.  I am sure I was anticipating the delightful feel of raw sex, me inside of her, and yet what I desired more is just that feeling of her naked chest and stomach against mine, her legs around my hips as our mouths were connected in a kiss.  That feeling of melting into one another was what I sought more than anything.

The long time between sex drove us in a new direction though.  Sandee is so petite and really not that experienced.  I do believe I may be the only guy she has ever had sex with other than her husband.  In the past I always tried to be sweet and gentle. This time though as I felt that elation of melting into her I wanted to see how far we could go, I wanted to press a little.  Sandee had mentioned that she does have a wild side and I wanted to see if I could find it.

Now that I was on top of her, inside of her, and kissing her I started slowly but as I felt her hips move with mine I accelerated as I pulled almost completely out of her and then thrust smoothly yet swiftly deep into her making sure my dick slid along the back side of her feeling her hips and pubic bone along the way.  Each time I thrust I made sure to linger a few moments deep inside.  As my left hand was inside her long blonde locks of hair my right was underneath her pulling her hips into mine.  Her mouth detached from kisses intermittently to give yielding high pitched sighs.  In those moments when our mouths detached my face then began to suffocate in the sweet floral aroma of her soft hair.  As her hips moved into mine more closely I could tell she was close.  My sweet Sandee was not having sex with me, she was fucking me.  And it was good.

She came and I slid to the side and her head flopped onto my chest.  We stayed there for the next two hours.  We would have sex two more times and two more times she orgasm-ed.  It was delightful and it was delightful to be now so accustomed to and comfortable with her body and she to mine.

So quite a dash for just one day I think!