SOLO DAY TRIP
Last weekend was an absolutely gorgeous Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada. Everyone was outside enjoying our Indian summer with the colors at full glory. Everyone was on family outings and that can be a little uncomfortable for those of us who are single.
One's first reaction might be to stay close to home and keep yourself otherwise occupied with interesting projects or ....
you could grab your camera and pretend you are going on a mini vacation.
That's what I did. But ... I did drag my feet a bit at first.
I went to Ball's Falls in the Niagara Peninsula which hosts a large craft show in this beautiful park. I've been there a couple of times previously but I always went with friends, etc. and I didn't really see what was around me. I was so busy socializing, I missed the real show ... the beautiful park and The Falls.
It never occurred to me that there really was a falls there and that's as dumb as not knowing who was buried in Grant's Tomb.
Even the craft tents look more beautiful with the colorful background. I didn't spend much time looking at the crafts this year. Mother Nature's show was the major attraction.
The simplicity of the old family chapel was lovely against the clear blue autumn sky and there's
nothing more beautiful than the hay stacks, pumpkins and the fall mums
that give the warmth to the coolness in the air.
The old flour mill is a textural delight to the colors of the maple and oak trees.
The wooden handrails on the old bridge that crosses the creek was such a lovely place to just pause, breathe and say to yourself ........
"Thank goodness, I didn't stay home."
I learned something from this little Solo Day Trip ....
it was a pure delight and surprise that this little sojourn on my own was one of my loveliest day trips. It is so easy to be complacent and not push yourself out into the world.
"What will people think if they see me alone?" you might muse.
"It won't be any fun if I have no one to share this with?"
Even if there is a partner, there's a tendency to wait until they will join us to do something spontaneous. I realize that I miss a lot of fun opportunities by letting them pass me by. How many times have I said "NO" to something just because I might be afraid, or it took a little effort?
Too often I'm sure.
But now, after sitting on a bench that day in Ball's Falls, I decided that I would say "YES" to at least 4 new things a week. It doesn't have to be a trip. It might be something so simple as talking to someone new or taking a different route on my bike.
The possibilities are endless.
What have you done or where have you gone on your own lately?
Share it with us.
We need to encourage each other to go enjoy our own company.
It is indeed a personal rush.
Photographs taken by Meg Mitchell
