For the past several weeks, after I’ve dropped the boys off at school, I’ve noticed this old farm gate propped open by a tire. It’s not just open to a pasture. It’s open to a dirt road that curves out of sight and surrounded on both sides by what seems like millions of yellow wildflowers.
It’s stunning.
It looks like a scene from a movie, that leads somewhere so peaceful and beautiful. There’s something about it that lures me in. Several times I’ve thought, I should pull over and get a picture.
So this weekend, I did.
The boys and I were driving home from a football game when we approached this gate and I just pulled right in. But instead of stopping to snap the picture, I couldn’t help it, I just kept driving. We followed the road around the bend, alongside the stream, through the trees, until it appeared to end in a line of trees and bushes.
The boys were giggling and Wahoooing the whole way.
We got out to explore for a minute. Then it started to sprinkle. That was all the wake up call I needed that it was time to turn around and head back, much to their dismay.
It was a fun divergence from the hum drum of our daily life.
As I was putting the boys to bed that night, discussing our highs and lows of the day, those fifteen minutes of exploring the winding path made the top of the list. They didn’t talk about anything fancy, just the excitement and fun of doing something unexpected.
They simply enjoyed exploring the unknown.
And I did too. I felt more relaxed, and as silly as it seems, enlightened. Like we’d discovered an unknown land.
And in a way we did.
We made a memory that we’ll not soon forget. Sometimes in life, we need to let go of our busy plans, even just for a few minutes, to explore what’s calling us around the bend.
What calls to you is different than what calls to me.
You could have passed that gate and old tire a million times without feeling one bit lured by it. Maybe it’s an art studio, the hospital, a design course, the fabric store, adoption papers, or a mission trip to Guatemala, that’s calling you. That’s what makes this life so beautiful.
Pay attention.
Listen. Then go.
We need you to explore it.
What’s calling you around the bend?
to more love,
Crystal
