Shhhh . . . I’ll dish some dirt. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Growing up in southeast Nebraska, where the soil reminds me of moist German chocolate cake, my preschool self decided, well, to investigate the gooey richness. One spring day when my dad was delivering tractor fuel to a farmer on the edge of town, I gleefully rode along. I loved tagging along with Dad in his Elk Oil & Co. heavy-duty fuel delivery truck.

dish some dirt

On this particular afternoon while Dad pumped fuel from his tanker truck to the farmer’s metal storage tanks, I investigated the freshly plowed cornfield next to the gas truck. Awwww . . . that black soil smelled so earthy, almost fruity with a hint of chocolate. In a flash, I dug my hand into the dark terra firma and shoved a wad into my mouth.                  

Sphew! Yuk. What appeared so tantalizing to my taste buds was terribly bland. The next thing I knew, Dad was standing over me wiping my mouth out with his clean, white handkerchief. My curiosity created a mini mud pie in my mouth that was anything but sweet. Of course, good-natured Dad cleaned me up without harsh scolding. If I recall, he was lightly chuckling at my adventurous spirit.

You Are Life-Tested

I have to admit that adventurous spirit has served me well over the years. Starting my first business at age 13 (mowing lawns, a mortuary and a cemetery). Reporting on people and news stories in nearly twenty countries. Climbing mountains. Writing books. Showing dogs. Creating this blog.

But shhhh . . . I’ll dish some dirt. Some good dirt this time. What feeds my adventurous spirit? YOU. Remarkable people like you. I just love digging deep and uncovering the brave and beautiful stories of everyday sojourners. Life-tested individuals like you and me who refuse to quit and keep bending our way through the obstacles and challenges that thud in our path.

So these days if you want to escape a bit from the confines of COVID-19, just know that I’m here thinking of you. Without you in my life, my words would fall on fallow ground, maybe even a freshly plowed cornfield.dish some dirt

I’m also contemplating how inviting my flowerbeds’ springtime soil looks and smells this week. No worries. I gave up eating dirt after my first attempt. But maybe I can interest us both in a cup of coffee and real German chocolate cake. Here’s to the adventurous bend-on spirit in all of us!

Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss
Facebooktwitterlinkedin