Allow me to first say that in my “worry what others think” stage in my 20s and 30s I’d never have done this.

To walk down the road in my neighborhood with knee pads on, a apron of sorts around my waist, with a tool I knew not what it was about tucked in the side loop, and a funky looking contraption in my right hand…. well, I would have been too embarrassed to have done this “way back when.”

But this being middle-aged thing has wonderful offerings that I’m really digging.

Speaking of digging… well, this wasn’t on my bucket list what I got to experience this past Monday.

My friend, Mary was in town and stayed with me for two days. One of her hobbies is metal detecting. Something I never would have considered pairing with the word fun.

But that was about to change when she asked if I wanted to give it a try.

And so we walked down to the small park at the end of my road.

Mary gave me a quick demo along with the rules of etiquette (who’d of thought there were etiquette rules?).

She taught me how to use that funky contraption called, yup, you got it – a metal detector.

She showed me how to properly dig a hole around the area where one said detector rang out sensing something below.

How to gently fold back what is referred to as the plug- the soil of which I just dug around.

The funky little yellow stick in the side of the loop on my apron now became useful to zero in on said target of metal that was somewhere in that plug or deeper into the earth.

At first it seemed like a lot of work. I was thinking I’d rather be walking the dogs, writing, or hanging out with the hubby.

But then it happened… my first find… a dime!  Okay, so you might be thinking, ooo, big deal, only a dime?

But it was the thrill of finding it…. and better yet, the thrill of not knowing how old the dime might be. Could it be of more value than ten cents?

Though it wasn’t, it still was the idea that there is more “gold” there in this earth left behind by others… and then, oh the stories of those who left something behind… what could those be? I wondered.

And after my first find, I moved on to continue to dig finding yet another dime, a penny, and as oftentimes happens, a soda can pull top.

But it was fun and I could sense it becoming addicting!

And even more so when Mary struck gold!  err, I mean silver!  And she dug up a great find in a beautiful sterling silver ring.

Even though I’d have loved to have found and kept that ring for myself, what a joy it brought to share in her excitement and her stunning find.

I can’t say as I’ll be running right out to buy all the equipment soon. But something that was never on my bucket list…is now added as a someday hobby when I have a little more time on my hands.

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