Life is Short Take the Trip

 

When  I skipped lunch at a conference at Kanuga, because APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. Photo by The Pensacola Hippie. 

Life is short. Take that trip. 

Brian and I will do exactly this next month. We're driving eight hours north to the North Carolina Highlands for a short vacation. We booked a room in the same B and B that we stayed in during our honeymoon almost five years ago. 

Needless to say: this Mountain gal is excited. Due to circumstances, I've not seen highlands for two years, and I am more than ready to spend time in the old, old mountains of Western North Carolina. 

We're staying in Hendersonville, a town located close to the South Carolina border. Brian and I honeymooned here almost five years ago, and it has been one of the many thin spots in the Carolina Mountains . 

Me with " Hippie Bear" in downtown H'ville . June 2016. Episcopal Church Women, Province 3 conference. Photo by Becky S. 

In June, 2016, I was back in Hendersonville { Nearby Kanuga Conference  Center} for an annual Episcopal Church Women's Conference. Although that was a " work" trip--- I managed to squeeze in as much time out in the woods as possible. 

After four years, I'm heading back to a place where I've always felt  deep communion with Creation. My parents took my younger brother and me to the mountain resorts near Boone, NC , for several summer weeklong getaways.  There are many wonderful memories of our time as a family on Beech Mountain , near Boone. 

The Carolina Mountains are a part of my story. 

Brian and I are looking forward to some sabbath time on this trip. There are many hiking trails near Hendersonville, including the beautiful waterfalls in the southern portion of Pisgah National forest. When Brian and I saw these falls last, it was cool and the swimming hole was closed { December in NC is not like December in Florida} I'm hoping to show him the joy of swimming in an Appalachian swimming hole , but will be content to just look at the waterfalls. I've some great memories of our parents taking Matt and me to " Jonah's Hole" an out-of-the-way swimming hole in the northern end of Pisgah National Forest. . My brother and father would jump into the deep water from a cliff cross the river while my mom and I sat on a rock near the falls and sunbathed. 

Waterfalls at Pisgah National Forest. Photo by The Pensacola Hippie. 

As much as I love my Pensacola and Gulf Coast home, part of my soul still resides in the soil of the oldest mountains on Earth, the Appalachians.  I love the beach, but there is something sacred about hiking the wooded mountains. I especially am grateful for a chance to share these woods with Brian-- my " flatlander" spouse. 

If there is anything that I've learned from 2020 , it is this. Life is short. Do that thing. Time is not a renewable commodity. Take that trip { If it is drive-able--- flying isn't safe}

Amen. 

Sarah