Sunday, June 1, 2014

An Accidental Drive in the Country

Recently I stumbled across a great blog called “Found Love, Now What?” written by Belinda, an expat living in Wales. I've always been fascinated by Wales, so I've had a blast reading about her adventures. Recently she started a Life is Good link-up.  I've never participated in a link-up before, but this one seemed like it was right up my alley.  I've been trying really hard to stay focused on the positive, so I decided to dive right in.

The point of the link-up is to share the small, everyday moments that have brought us joy in the last month. I spent a lot of time trying to think about what moments to share, but nothing about my May was small, nor everyday. We purchased a house in Texas, hubby moved down to start his new job, and I have been in Ohio prepping for our move. Lots of highs, lots of lows, but not a whole lot of ordinary.

Yesterday I had driven to hubby's hometown to visit with his grandma. On my way home I decided to stop by the cemetery to visit his parent's graves. That left me trying to navigate home from an area that I am not at all familiar with, so I pulled up the map application on my phone.  I had lots of errands to run, so I wanted to get home quickly and not take a chance on getting lost. Apparently, the app had a different idea in mind. My phone, in its infinite wisdom, decided that the shortest way was through a series of twisting and winding country roads. My first reaction was to get angry. I had lots to accomplish!  No time for this foolishness!


Then, I decided that I should just calm down and go with the flow. Maybe this was the universe's way of telling me to take a little break. I backed off on the speed, and started to look around me. I took in the trees, the rolling hills, the fields, the beautiful old red barns.  I rolled down the windows to let the breeze blow through my hair. I turned off the radio to enjoy the quietness of the country. A feeling of calm washed over me, and I decided that I had found my moment. My drive through the countryside was my joyful, everyday moment.  In the midst of all the craziness of moving I had found an oasis of calm. For just a little while I could completely unplug from the stress, the lists, the plans, the work. I could just exist in the moment and enjoy the beauty around me.

All too soon the moment was over and I found myself back on the interstate and rushing back to the real world of packing and moving. But I will always consider myself blessed by my accidental drive in the country.

6 comments:

  1. Oh, I love this story... of taking a moment to pause and find a little bit of peace. I've found that since I have moved to Wales, I have more and more moments of clarity, many times through drives off the course. Thank you for joining your story for the linkup! How wonderful! :)

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    1. Thank you for starting the link-up! It is a great reminder to focus on all the good things in life.

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  2. oh yay! good for you for going with it - sometimes these "diversions" are put in our way for a reason, I think :)

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    1. Thanks! I completely agree. It is like the universe grabs us by the shoulders and gives a gentle shake.

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  3. This is a great analogy for life! Just enjoy the ride and the scenery, right? :)

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