Taking the Byway
This weekend I took a five-hour roadtrip to the other side of North Carolina to teach a class. As usual, I didn’t plan for an extra day or two to meander; it was just get there and get back as quickly as possible, and that’s kind of sad.
My husband was doing the driving, which gave me more time to look at the scenery. We left the mountains where we live and headed for the coast. Some of the things I noticed made me wish we had planned a longer trip. There was a gold-panning operation going beside a beautiful river. Another few miles up the road, a sign pointed to “The Old Covered Bridge.” Some of you might see plenty of covered bridges where you live, but they’re a rarity in these parts. One exit ramp had a sign offering up “The Country Doctor Museum.”
The land flattened out and I started noticing the beautiful dark waters of the swamplands, and the fertile farms growing winter hay. Old tobacco smokehouses stood abandoned in the middle of some of the fields, looking ancient and forlorn and almost surreal.
It seems that every mile or two, there’s a historical marker telling about some Civil War battle or campsite or general born nearby, or the homeplace of some long-ago poet or politician.
I started thinking about how many interesting and beautiful things I’ve never seen are practically in my own backyard, and I’ll bet most of us could say the same. We’re busy, we’re in a hurry, and we just don’t stop to see them.
I’ve realized my business isn’t going to fall to pieces if I take an extra day off, so next time, I’m going to plan to take the byway instead of the highway. Maybe even stop to pan for gold, or picnic on the river beside the covered bridge. I’ll just take time to slow down and smell the hay, and be in the moment instead of getting to my destination as fast as I can. I wish the same for you.
Peace & Prosperity,
Laura Allen
Posted on January 13th, 2008 by Laura Allen
Filed under: General
I recently had the opportunity to meet Laura personally during a workshop on Ethics/Marketing. I applaud her contribution to the field and encourage any massage therapists who have the opportunity to experience her delightful presentation to take advantage.
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