Sometimes you just need to get away. To an unfamiliar place, with new scenery and a fresh perspective. Once Florida lifted the stay-at-home orders (and before the recent uptick in cases), our family planned a two-night stay in a local state park cabin.
Unfortunately, park personnel removed one of those nights from our reservation to insure extra cleaning time between each check-out and check-in. While it was disappointing, we would not allow this minor setback to affect our mood, or enjoyment of the overnight getaway.
The evening was splendid and challenging. After blue cheese infused burgers on the outside grill (in the rain), we hopped from store to store (four in total) to find a bundle of firewood for our long-awaited campfire. After failing to light the wet wood with a lighter that ran out of fuel, our determination would not waver. One more trip to the corner gas station netted us an extra lighter alongside a bag of instant-light charcoal. Hey, one needs to adapt to the situation, right?
And let me tell you, the s’mores we toasted over that blazing fire? I have never tasted better.
It was the unexpected that helped us appreciate the evening, while also making it so much more enjoyable. And in more than one way. While driving through the park, my son piped up and said, “Let’s turn here.” We navigated down a winding road, saw five deer playing with each other as dusk settled upon us, and ended up parked on the shore of Lake Louisa.
We watched the sunset morph and change with each passing second. Every new moment was more splendid than the last. Yeah, that. It was another unexpected part of our overnight adventure.
Mother Nature has a way of sharing her message with quiet wisdom. But gosh is it beautiful, don’t you think?
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