Unexpected Gems

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to travel.  My quest is to see as much of the world as possible – one neighborhood, town and city at a time.  I often seek the far-away places, the exotic, the historical, the far corners of the earth…the types of trips that cause me to wonder what I was thinking opting for another 12+ hour plane ride, one way, yet soon forgetting the agony when my feet hit the pavement of a new or familiar place – including home.

Yet in my quest to see the world, I sometimes overlook the world near me; the hubs of local lure or nature havens right here in my own neck-of-the-woods. An outing with two friends last week reminded me of the richness that exists within a 2-hour radius of my home, including the special time connecting with friends and, especially, the ease on the wallet.

I must admit, when I woke-up the Saturday morning of our outing – all I wanted to do was to stay at home.  “Why do we have to go to Maryland, anyway?” I thought to myself, slightly grumpy that I made a commitment on a weekend when there were so many other things to get accomplished.  Additionally, I had received sad news the evening before that was weighing on me; someone I knew had passed.  I later found out it had been 18 days from the date of the person’s diagnosis until the date of death.  Unreal.

Time with family and friends becomes more precious with each lapsing moment; and the outing turned out to be just what the Doctor ordered.

It helped that I was with two of the cheeriest people I know. They started messaging early in the morning about our day, exclaiming their excitement.  I became excited, too.  Attitude is contagious!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous.  It had rained for a few days, so having a sunny day was icing on the cake.

We made our way to Black Hill Regional Park, which was about an hour drive from our town; we were going kayaking!  A calm came over me as soon as we turned into the park and made our way down the tree-shaded road; nature has a way of doing that to me.  What was even more fascinating is that we went from urban congestion to nature calm in a matter of minutes.  That’s the beauty of having unexpected nature gems nestled all around us.

Our travel buddy suggested the spot, and it did not disappoint. The tensions of the world disappeared with each inhale of fresh air, the sunshine beating upon our faces, and the water waiting for us to explore its shores.  Yes – I am being dramatic!

You know, one of the best aspects of traveling with my two friends is that they did their Mama thing – thank God!  What do I mean?  When we first joined up, they both had big bags.  I asked, “Why do y’all have such big bags,” all the while carrying my granola bar in my down-sized purse.  Between the two of them – we had snacks, hats, sunscreen, water, plastic bags…they thought of everything.  Phew, because I ended-up needing everything they had to offer!  That’s the value of having those in my circle that will have my back in any situation; and the importance of being one of those individuals. Now, I do the Auntie thing when traveling with my nephews and niece.  However, I simply was not prepared this day.

We launched onto the water.  The water swooshing with every stroke of the paddle, the breeze rustling across the lake, the sun kissing our faces, and the sounds of nature and laughter from the small crowd of other folks on the lake all soothed our souls; it was simply a place of serenity.  We were in heaven.

As we drove home that day, I was reminded about taking advantage of the unexpected gems around me, including family, friends, and community. Even while writing this I was reminded about a commitment I made a couple of years ago to explore nearby places (within a 2-hour radius) that I had not visited before, had been a while since I visited, or simply to revisit familiar places.

Lesson learned.

If you are reading this and know of hidden gems in the DelMarVa, WV, and PA, then leave a comment or two about some of your favorite local unexpected gems.

Check-in next week as I feature moments of reflection regarding my visit to one of my favorite far-away locations:  China.