Doing "75 Things" in Georgia and Alabama

      Last week I made a trip to Georgia for a wedding in Alabama. Before the wedding my family and I walked through the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, where I had the great pleasure of hugging some trees.

Swamp magnolia

Toshino cherry

Common banana

      Usually, on an airplane, I sit in my seat and keep to myself, but on this trip I was determined to take advantage of the opportunity to talk to strangers. (I think I can;  I think I can.) My seat mate on the first plane looked Indian or mid-Eastern, so I was excited about asking him how to say "hello" "good-bye," and "what is your name?" in his native language, too, so I could check off two boxes in the 75s columns: "talk to 75 strangers" and "learn hello, good-bye, and what is your name? in 75 languages," but he seemed too involved in his computer work to interrupt, so I shrank into my usual shell and didn't bother him. On the return, however, I sat next to an interesting young woman with whom I had a nice conversation. It was easy.

       I took a hike on the Appalachian Trail with my brother and two sisters, too, while I was in Georgia. (I have now done 27 hikes and will do another today, so I'm doing well with this item.) It was a steep trail but a beautiful day, and we met a lot of people also hiking – families,  couples, day-hikers, backpackers. My sister, in front of me, chatted easily for a moment with each hiker. Behind her, I smiled, said, "Hi," and passed on by until I pointed out to her that I was the one who needed to talk to strangers. After that, she said, "Hi," and passed on by, letting me be the one to say, "Where did you camp last night? How long have you been out? How did you fare in the rain?" 

      It's my general modus operandi to smile, say, "Hi," and pass on by, but I'm learning that it's not difficult, in such a situation, to talk to a stranger and that it's pleasant and friendly and makes everyone feel good.

       I drank some new wine with my siblings, had three swims in Lake Lanier (where the four of us spent a couple of days at Laura's lake house), and gave a ton of compliments – Laura on how well she played Beethoven's piano sonata, Sharee on her new svelte figure, Lee on beautiful photographs from his raft trip in the Grand Canyon.

      When I returned home, I got a 75-minute massage. 

      I have now completed 23 of the 75 things to do in my 75th year.