Monday, January 2nd… Last day of holiday break, with not nearly enough to show for it. A series of texts comes through to me from someone in the same circumstances at 1:39 p.m. After several minutes the pivotal question appears:
“Are you looking to do a final day of vacation road trip?”
Me: “Yes… just can’t think of where to go in such a short amount of time.”
“Spiral Jetty?”
Me: (thinking… I don’t care if he’s joking) “Let’s go!”
“Directions are on the web. I’ll look them up. Do you think we can make it before the sun goes down?”
Me: “Might as well try”
“I need to brush my teeth before I jump in the car and then I’ll be over”
Two point five hours later, sun sinking low in the sky, we arrive at said destination, look out and find… the Great Salt Lake. Yeah, do your research before this trip. Even the reputable source Wikipedia knew better: “(The Spiral Jetty) is only visible when the level of the Great Salt Lake falls below an elevation of 4,197.8 feet.” In fact, it has been submerged since last June. The one downfall to super spontaneous road trips: you don’t have time to look into and work out the logistics. On the flip side, though, it yielded a meaningful and fun road trip that I wouldn’t have traded for anything else that day.
As I sat in Sunday School today not able to hear because of the size of the class and the lack of good acoustics for the setting, I started reading the lesson, and something in it reminded me of this experience. I reflected on it, and noted a few derivatives which follow:
- Advanced research can be critical when a specific outcome is desired.
- While expectations aren’t always met, they can still be exceeded in the alternative fortuitous circumstances that unexpectedly occur (wow… didn’t mean for that to be so wordy).
- Some things are in reality there, yet cannot be seen.
- Timing is key… Sometimes opportunities are constantly available, but others are given only in specific windows of time. Find the windows for the experiences desired, and take advantage.
- Spontaneity can lead to some of our best moments. Be open to these opportunities.
- Find a way and take the time to enjoy even the very moment of disappointment.
Now, I could go into a whole spill about each of these derivatives, but I’m not going to. I’ll leave that up to you to invent or come up with your own interpretations.
Of course, this was my experience. I can't pin the same on my traveling companion. I think he enjoyed himself as well, but he may have derived something completely different. Perhaps his list was: 1) Don’t go on spontaneous road trips. 2) Don't go on spontaneous road trips with Cheryl. 3) Don’t give Cheryl any crazy ideas when you were joking in the first place, and certainly don’t allow her to run with them.
Regardless, the glass half full perspective on each of our experiences seems to be the more inviting of the options and I hope to take that more often.. find the best derivatives from each of the failed and not-so-failed moments, and in doing so, find richer happiness.
