“Don’t move,” my husband instructed as he got up from the bench and turned back to face me.
We’d stopped in Ripley at the John Rankin House one afternoon this summer and were enjoying the cool shade of a generous hedge apple tree.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There’s a deer behind you,” he explained. “And I don’t want you to startle it.”
“There’s no deer behind me,” I knew better. “This bench is shoved up against the tree.”
“Just get up slowly and turn around,” he suggested.
I did.
Curled up inside a nook of the trunk, a sleepy, spotted fawn regarded me.
It’s a memory that remains with me. It remains with me as a reminder to be open to unpredictable, unimaginable events. It remains with me as a reminder to be appreciative of those moments. Moments, in particular, generated by travel.
That day, my husband and I were on a spontaneous outing, simply looking for a local setting from which we could enjoy the summer day. No serious planning involved. No securing of airline tickets, car rentals or hotel rooms. No packing.
Appreciation of those moments is not lost on me at the time. Nor is it this time of year when we reflect upon our blessings. Now, especially, the travel highlight reels play over again in my mind. And the gratitude grows.
In addition to local outings, 2021 also afforded travel beyond our area. Weekend trips to towns, museums, professional baseball games and other venues within a day’s drive. Escapes to the beach. History-themed trips with our family. And a couple of weeks exploring some of our country’s magnificent national parks.
For the experiences we’ve had traveling, we are grateful. For those yet to come, we wait in grateful anticipation.
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(Note: Marjorie Appelman is an English, communications and journalism teacher at Mason County High School and co-founder of Tales from the Trip, which is on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. She can be reached at [email protected].)The trips were not without their challenges: a car rental conflict, a return flight cancelled at the last minute.