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Dear Reader,
I'm on vacation. Today's column is written by Sandra Backlund, one of the winners of the "Write a Dear Reader Contest." Sandra is a retired teacher and she lives in Lafayette, Colorado. "My mother used to sit down and journal every day," Sandra said, "and now I've gotten a journal just like the one that she used, and I'm writing every day, too."
Congratulations Sandra. Hundreds of people entered the contest and my staff picked the two winning entries. I'm grateful to everyone who submitted a column.
My husband and I will be wandering around the Blue Ridge Mountains for the next 10 days. If you see me, be sure to say hello.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Warm regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com
Today's guest column is written by Sandra Backlund.
Sometimes actions are louder than words!
Embarking on a day of solo skiing in the high country, I eased my matronly blue van (years ago dubbed the "Mother Ship") into the ski area's wooded outer parking lot, my car radio's classical station supplying the perfect rapturous accompaniment to this gloriously sunny, white-skirted day. I parked and turned off the car and radio, surprised by a less pleasing sound assaulting my ears. In the next parking spot stood a Subaru with its doors thrown open, a booming rap beat blasting from its stereo system. Beside it, four snowboarders pulled on loose jackets and knitted hats, oblivious to the overreaching effects of their music.
"How rude," I thought, opening the hatch of my van, "to assume that everyone in the lot wants to listen to their particular, offensive music." I felt invaded--the peace of the day ebbing away.
Getting into my van to put on sunscreen gave me a shelter from the noise, when a more positive move occurred to me. I turned my radio once again to the classical station, cranked the volume all the way up and lowered all four windows at once, my speakers pouring classical crescendos from every orifice of the vehicle.
Thus accompanied, I got out to don my boots and unload my skis, trying to pretend it was normal to function amidst this much noise.
The musics dueled.
The boarders, one by one, glanced up from fastening boots amidst the cacophony and grinned. Grins broadened to smiles, nearly to laughter. They were definitely getting it. Minutes later, all ready to go, we simultaneously turned off both sound systems and locked the cars; the show-down over.
"Great day, isn't it!!!" chirped one of the boarders to me in the now silent lot, barely containing his glee.
"SO GREAT!!!" I agreed, having given up nothing, and gained quite a lot.
-- Sandra Backlund / Dear Reader Column Winner
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