Anyone else ready to drive a road that looks like this? Holy cow. I feel like I’m stuck in the eighth week of August and desperately want to be rid of summer.
Fall can’t get here quickly enough.
This photo is from several years ago on a road out of Thomas, West Virginia. That’s the gorgeous Blackwater Falls region if you’re familiar and I was there on Columbus Day. Most businesses were closed because it was Monday but the roads were wide open and I was delighted that this area was enjoying a vibrant fall foliage season.
I’m ready for pumpkins and sweaters, cozy blankets and the crunch of leaves under my feet. Not to mention the hot chocolate, azure blue October skies, and road trips to nowhere in particular.
There’s so much to see and do in October I feel like I need to rest up so I’m prepared to not miss a thing when it finally arrives.
Glass and steel. Light and dark. I appreciate contrasts. Maybe that’s why I like this picture so well.
The place in this picture is a pedestrian walkway just off Chinatown in Washington DC. The orange pieces are 28,000 ribbons hanging down from a sort of pergola. I showed you another perspective shortly after this trip. You can see that image at this link.
I’m not sure why I have been thinking about this place lately. After all, this was a few years ago and the art pieces are certainly long gone by now.
Maybe it s because it was just such a beautiful space that practically glowed with, not just light, but a vibrant explosion of colors that’s hard to explain.
Maybe it’s because it’s just so different than where I live. For someone who happily lives in the country with trees that are bigger than our tallest buildings, there’s something almost mesmerizing about the way this building lights up against the night sky.
This is one of the reasons we travel – because the places we visit became a part of us. They become a part of our memories.
Important travel memories can come from a conversation with a local, an important artifact overhead in a museum, or the smell of fresh donuts at a local bakery. It can also be an early September breeze softly tickling 28,000 ribbons while the glow of electric light makes them seem to explode with color from within.
Don’t just go from Point A to Point B when you travel. Leave the resort. Do something outside your comfort zone. Stop to admire something unfamiliar. Make a memory.
And, on some dreary day years later, pull out the pictures and remember that near magical moment that helped to define that trip. Know that in some way, it helped to reshape a part of you too.
Travel isn’t just going places. It’s bringing those places with you wherever you go.
Yesterday I found myself standing in front of a cashier in a big box store. She looked to be about sixty and had a pleasant demeanor. As is my habit, I asked if she was having a good day.
She said yes and then she launched into the story of WHY she was having a good day. In a nutshell, she said the quality of your day is up to you. It’s up to you to make it good regardless of your circumstances.
She admitted that she had just had knee surgery and her knee was hurting but she talked about how fortunate she is to be in her seventies and for that to be her only complaint. She listed the blessings in her life – her kids, grandkids, a roof over her head, a job – and no other ailments besides that knee.
She wished me a very good day and sent me out into the world feeling better about life.
Note that she is about fifteen years older than she looked and I am convinced that this attitude has kept her youthful and healthy. Internalize stress and it will ruin your life. Be able to acknowledge there are things in this world you cannot change and suddenly other people’s bad attitudes are not your burden to carry. Everything you have is suddenly enough.
The theme here at Make The Journey Fun is “you’ll be as happy as you make up your mind to be.” This is more of a mission statement than anything for me but this lady is the living, breathing embodiment of the idea.
