Cheap Thrills

There are thrills

Each and every day

Of our lives

They are priceless

Treasures

Gifts

That often go unrecognized

Unacknowledged

As we plow through our days

From task to task

But if we pause

To consciously see what “is”

The abundance of life

Within us

Within all of creation

Within the experiences of this grand adventure

We will hold our hearts all day long

Saying THANK YOU

For the cheap thrills

That cost nothing

But our willingness to receive them

 

John and I named our houseboat Cheap Thrills.  This name came from John’s wedding vows where he declared his heartfelt adoration for me and concluded with the promise of Cheap Thrills all our days together.  Of course, our circle of friends and family burst out laughing because it was funny and just like John to throw in humor after he poured his heart out to me; and everyone there knew that John, being the rare bird he was truly experienced the cheap thrills found in the day, delighting in what most of us bypass or skim in order to move on to the next task at hand.  I often told him doing nothing with him was the most fun I ever had because he took me into the depth of experiences in a way I was incapable of at the time.

The name Cheap Thrills is also playful in that there is nothing cheap about having a boat.  There is always an expense and they depreciate in value so there is nothing practical about being a boat owner.  We owned this houseboat, ski boat, fishing boat and Sea Doos for the thrills.  And I still have it because the thrills continue to come, giving me an immeasurable sense of aliveness as I visit with my dock neighbors, run the foot hills, swim the back cove playing Mermaid, ski, go on boat rides and cruises, eat breakfast on top while everyone else on the dock is asleep, soak up the sun, the tree lined shores, the sky and meet friends and family here where we can gather to play, be still, catch up and connect.

This morning as I swam the back cove, playing Mermaid and saying Good Morning to my neighbors, I found myself wishing them a day of Cheap Thrills, encouraging them to welcome the priceless treasure that this day holds not just because we are here at our beloved Lake Cumberland but because we are alive, here to experience another day on earth.  And I want to extend the same invitation to you this day.  Consciously accept the abundance that is, that you are, recognizing the gifts, the treasures that often go unnoticed.  Welcome the depth of life even when doing nothing and discover the magic of each moment that pulses through you and through life.