The Wonders of the Great Outdoors – A Vacation Story

Every now and then it’s a great idea to get away and enjoy God’s creation. In this post, I share some insights I learned on our recent trip to Fall Creek Falls.

Excerpted from my lagoon blue “Ecosystems” journal on October 15, 2015.

A Great Start to a Vacation

We’ve [my wife, Melissa, and I] been on vacation all this week at Fall Creek Falls [Tennessee]. It’s been a refreshing, relaxing experience. I’ve been able to record some guitar vids, work on my novel edits, read, and enjoy a walk or two in nature. It’s been nice to not have to be anywhere or answer to anyone in particular for a change.

Right now I’m writing this while sitting on the balcony of our room, staring out over the railing at the thick foliage hovering just above the huge lake out front. The leaves haven’t turned colors much. I wonder if there will even be much color this fall with the superabundance of rain we’ve had over the past several weeks.

The second day here, Melissa took it upon herself to walk the entire lower loop, a twelve-mile overnight hike, by herself—in one day! She got back to the hotel around seven hours or so later. She hasn’t stopped talking about it since. We played our first game of shuffleboard together, and I won two out of three games.

Catching A Piece of Yourself

Yesterday, we walked a while around the park’s golf course, and it dawned on me the appeal of golf for so many people. It’s not just hitting a ball and chasing it down after all. It’s being out among the calm serenity of nature and letting all stress and worry just melt away. There’s no rush, just you and your friends, if you prefer company, out there among God’s creation, enjoying the simple pleasure of taking your time. I may even try playing a round or two every now and then with Melissa just for the fun of trying something new.

Speaking of which, seeing all the boats and kayaks out here on the lake for the past several days has got me wondering about trying those out as well. There’s so much out there that I’ve never allowed myself the frivolity of enjoying. I want to try new things and thereby add to the experiences that God’s creation has—and wants—to offer.

I need to take more opportunities to slow down and just be. Fishing has always been boring to me, but I guess I’ve never appreciated or seen the real meaning behind it. You’re not out there to just catch fish; you’re out there to catch a piece of yourself, your sanity, your time; to reclaim what life often drains from you in work, commitments, chores, etc.

Piece of Mind

Writing in this journal is a great example of being in the moment, watching the beautiful scenery, listening to the crickets and frogs chirping, resetting my peace of mind—and my piece of mind. This is true living at its best.

I sign off for now refreshed, wondering what the last pages of this journal—and the first pages of the next—hold for me. A few more sips of coffee and we go out to face the day, no schedule to bind us, just good old-fashioned instinct to guide the way.

Praise the Lord for His marvelous works (Ps. 139:14)!

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