Sometimes we get so caught up in the have to, can't, not enough time, it's too far, what if, I'm not sure excuses of our existence. We get caught up in a routine that literally sucks the "life" out of our lives. It's the stuff that makes us "old" in our minds and hearts. What happened to the just because, so what, go for it, who cares, let's go moments? They seem so far and few between the everyday stuff we need to do.
Last week, I got to experience a spur of the moment time with my daughter. No planning, getting there on time, what if we're late, what if we get lost or I'm tired entered this picture on Thursday last. In the car, around 7pm, on one of the most beautiful days of July, I looked at my daughter and said, I wish we could just drive down the shore for the no good reason. She looked at me, as if trying to find a reason why I wouldn't and said, "Why not? We could go to Long Branch. It's only an hour away." I couldn't think of any reason why I couldn't go. As if I need a reason to not go!
So we drove home, changed our clothes, and at 8pm hopped back in my car! E-Z Pass newly glued to my windshield, nothing could stop me now. The music blared as we sang along, traffic was nowhere to be found and in the background was the sound of the GPS lady directing me, "In point 8 miles, stay left." You got it Dolores!
In one hour we arrived at Long Branch and I had the energy of a 15 year old. We parked for free, which is always great and walked to the boardwalk. A refreshing breeze accompanied us and as we turned to take a picture together, my shawl blew right in our faces as we smiled for the camera! God certainly has a sense of humor.
We finally got the picture right and proceeded to a restaurant, where we sat outside watching the waves and sharing french fries and a salad on the side. :-) My daughter then treated me to great coffee and dessert across the street. With coffee in hand we went down onto the beach and found the perfect spot to sit on in the sand and we admired the amazing array of stars God had on display that night for our viewing pleasure. The sounds of the waves breaking, the breeze blowing and my daughter by my side produce for me one of the most wonderful, unplanned nights of my life. As I looked over at her, I saw she had tears coming down and realized, it was the same for her. For a brief, amazing time, nothing was wrong in the world.
We finished the night by strolling along the beach back toward our car, laughing and talking about this and that. Now around midnight, we were happy to find the bathroom still open at the end of boardwalk, before heading back home. The drive was filled with "old school" music, even less traffic and questions in my mind.
Why don't I do these kinds of things more often? What holds us back? I'm not sure but I can tell you this. We miss out on special times and mini adventures that make us excited about life and most importantly the people we love. My daughter and I bonded that night and something else happened inside me. I realized that although planning is good and being on time is better, the spur of the moment is all we really have.
