Bring Me That Horizon
Last week I visited Holland, Michigan to attend the wedding reception of my two dear friends. One important thing to note about me is that I adore traveling. It makes me feel rejuvenated and alive. I feel it is so important to go outside where I always am. So being from Atlanta, a rather large and crowded city, entering Michigan was such a refreshing scene. I went with my friends siblings, and as soon as we went outside and breathed in the fresh air, that was not humid, I knew it was going to be a fun trip.
My friends mom picked us up and had a whole box of fresh blueberries from the market( a whole 5 pounds to be exact). And man, I haven't had fresh blueberries in a while. To be fair, Atlanta has farmers markets, but I rarely visit them. But like I said, travel reminds you to branch out. Anyway, these blueberries were amazing!
Moving on, later that day, after I geeked out over the puppy my friends family has, we headed out to the lake. We trekked down through some dunes, where I lost one of my shoes in the sand. I stepped out of my shoe and turned around and it was just gone. My friends and I looked and looked but as the sand started to burn my foot I decided it was better to cut my losses. I found it so funny, I just kept laughing. My shoe literally was lost in quick sand and well it was pretty hilarious. I was reminded that it’s better to find humor in situations rather then cynicism. As I ran down the rest of the dune and turned the corner, I saw Lake Michigan and was taken aback by how vast this lake was. Obviously, I ran into the water out of sheer joy and excitement, only to realize that the water was FREEZING! I dove in and could not longer feel my legs, stomach, or hands. But I stood in that water for at least and hour. The pain, for some reason, didn't matter. Which showed me how often in life can we endure a little pain for a better outcome. I was in Lake Michigan and I was going to enjoy it.
This was just after I left my shoe, but so worth the view.
The rest of the weekend was filled with celebration and other adventures. One thing that amazed me was that people in this little, lovely town of Holland, trust each other and know their neighbors. I don't even know who lives across the hall from me in my apartment complex. In this town they leave car keys in the car, they leave front doors unlocked, and share any resources needed. It was like going back to a different time. It terrified me how trusting they were, but it was also refreshingly strange.
Celebrating my friends' wedding was obviously the highlight of my trip, but there was a close second. On my last night there, we climbed the dunes once again by Lake Michigan to watch the sunset. Though it was a direct uphill in sand, it was worth the small climb up. There's a line in Forrest Gump, that became very apparent to me as the sun slowly faded into the water,
" I couldn't tell where the heavens stopped and the earth began."
As the pinks and purples filled my view, I couldn’t tell the difference between the water and the sky. It was a beautiful canvas. I watched in aw (like literally I think my mouth was wide open at one point). I have seen sunsets on the beach before, but to see the horizon so clear from higher up, was something I've never really experienced. It occurred to me how I never really slow down. It took a mere thirty minutes to sit and watch the sun sink into the water below. As we sat there, no one made a sound. There was no music, we just listened to the wind and the chatter of the people around us. What a unique moment.
*In love with this view*
Overall, I rode on a four wheeler for the first time, chased chickens, and swam in Lake Michigan twice (it was a lot warmer the second time). A couple things I learned was to take things a little slower and observe what goes on around me. I spend a lot of time keeping my head down because I don't want to inconvenience anyone. But maybe that is what we need more of, to care more. Caring is not an inconvenience. Go on an adventure today, whether it's in your backyard or across a couple of states.
I want to thank my wonderful friends and their families for such a fantastic weekend!
Stay Excellent,
Megan
