Alvin Calling

During college, I went through several stages where I took on habits which formed a lifestyle for several months or longer.

I look back on some routines and wonder what I was thinking, but others bring up warm feelings of nostalgia that make me question why I ever abandoned them.

While attending Golden West JC and Long Beach State, I still lived with my sweet, generous mother in Westminster in the house conveniently located about halfway between them, making them logical choices that wouldn't require an expensive dorm room or off-campus housing.

At the time, I never seriously considered that commuting to school might affect my overall college experience, although obviously it had ramifications, not the least of which was that it became easy for someone like me who has always had diverse interests, to become sidetracked by activities quite unrelated to school which resulted in some dumb choices to cut classes or frivolously flip majors.  The nearly free California college system of the day may not have encouraged this, but it certainly made getting sidetracked seem less consequential.

I hadn't yet taken to heart Milton Friedman's famous line, "There is no such thing as a free lunch," and that's partly why it took me seven years to get a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics/Business Administration (which I actually didn't finish until I was in the Air Force).

Had I stuck to my knitting, I would have received my degree in Accounting in four years as advised by my parents, possibly bought some real estate in the 1970's as investments when prices were 5% of what they are now and been well ahead in the game of Life.

Then again, you can't change one thing without changing everything, and I somehow have lived a truly blessed life brimming with wonderful choices, hallways of doors that always seemed to open to something amazing that could tempt me off my previously established path.

For some reason, when I was about 22 years old, I stopped sleeping in my bed.

Instead, I sacked out in my sleeping bag on the living room floor.

I'm sure there must have been some logical thought process involved in that decision to sleep on the floor, perhaps part of my larger efforts at asceticism, because at the time I also was quite into yoga, meditation, healthy food and reading religious books including the Bible, which I read cover to cover before class at CSULB, leading to some interesting interactions with people who assumed who I must be, but that is another hallways of doors.



In any case, it's not sleeping on the floor that I find endearing and miss, but rather what happened every morning at 5 minutes before 6 AM.

My dog Alvin, a stray Black Lab mix we'd adopted when I was 12 years old, would nuzzle me in the nape of the neck with his nose until I would finally stir from sleep.

If he could talk, his smiling face (and if you don't think dogs smile, then you've obviously never owned a pet) would have said, "Let's go, Wes! We don't want to miss our morning run! This is really special! It's going to be the best part of our day!"

For the most part, I remember it primarily as being dark outside, though depending on the time of year, it could also be a gray morning light.

We'd take a fast lap, turning left onto Milan to run over to Westminster Avenue, where another left took us to Hammond for yet another left until we completed our box by turning on our street to head home.

It was essentially a mile, taken with Alvin's urging at more of a run than a jog.

While not the most adventurous path, it made us both very happy.

This past weekend at a birthday party in the park for my nephews Lucas and Henry, I was talking with JJ, who at about 30 years old runs marathons, which is definitely not a hallway I ever considered seriously.

One Laguna Beach 10K in the mid-1980's for which I barely trained --- but definitely carbo-loaded for --- was enough to tell me that long distance running isn't my thing in this lifetime.

However, that morning mile with Alvin was always a great pleasure in addition to being a healthy jump start to the day.

I especially miss that morning wet-nosed nudge, though on rare occasions when I sleep past 7:00 AM, Julie has been known to give me a little shove to start the morning coffee.

What does this have to do with travel?

Well, sometimes I worry that I bother you by trying to tempt you with destinations and on board experiences that make travel such an amazing experience.

I just want you to know that it's not my intention to be a nuiscance.

I want to be your Alvin.

When I write these words, my heart is smiling like Alvin in the morning, quietly exclaiming you don't want to miss out on your life.

The real world is really special!

And you may never be more capable of making that fun trip than right now!

You're going to remember this your whole life!

Better service leads to better trips!