Intentional Relationships

An adventure…

Sometimes I need a friend that will take me on the road. After weeks of pressure and stress, the excitement of the baby shower, and months of turmoil and change I needed a day away. My friend texted me on Friday and let me know that as the Cruise Director, she had scheduled a day away. Would I be interested? Of course I was.
With no more information than when she would pick me up, I headed out into the unknown. As we drove north through the deepening fall, we passed beautiful vistas, autumn color clinging to bare branches, under a gloomy sky. We talked as old friends do about the immediate pressures, then the lingering issues, and finally the possibilities of the future. We unwound as we the traveled winding roads.
An hour later, we pulled into a quintessential New England town square with little shops, small businesses, and a white steepled church. Brunch reservations in a perfect French restaurant with jazz music playing in the background beckoned. The waitress ushered us to a quiet little table in the back and we settled in for a long chat.
When the last of the mimosas, crepes, and eggs were finished we lingered to enjoy a moment. We’d covered topics broad and deep. Our hopes, some fears, and many of the mundane issues about new jobs and long commutes. We didn’t settle anything, but we talked it out. Feeling again the challenges of life in this moment, processing the delights and our lack of control. Wishing we could get our people in order but fearing we might get it wrong.
We moved on to a hilltop vineyard overlooking the whole valley. The vista took my breath away as we found our way to the tasting room and a couple more hours of conversation. We wrestled with big and little issues, observations and insights, and hopeful paths forward. We nibbled bits of brie and crackers as we worked our way down the flight of wine and let the afternoon slip away.
As we headed home, there was one last stop for “drinking chocolate” at a local chocolate shop. We took it to go and sipped warm wonder as we flew down the road, back toward our lives. Nothing changed in our afternoon away. Challenges awaited us as we returned to our lives. Tomorrow we will walk back into Monday and find the world much the way we left it.
However, the time away was good for our souls. We spoke unspoken fear and shared honestly about our lives. We laughed as old friends do. We opened up and let in some air and light this afternoon. Life is hard. Some days it is just good to get away, pamper yourself a bit, and take a break.
simplethings I hope you are enjoying this exploration of simple things that make life special. This is part of the Write 31 Days challenge. Click here to follow along.