What We Have Done

 

When I was writing my post yesterday about my gratitude for the memories we've made traveling and the dreams I have for trips (hopefully) yet to come, I had another thought come to mind that I wanted to share with you today. It's along the same lines...but a bit different. 

Just the other day I saw one of the gospel singers I follow on Instagram post that an overseas trip had been canceled by the trip organizers because of the rise in cases in the destination area. I saw an author post about her 25th wedding anniversary trip being canceled because her son tested positive and they needed to stay home to care for him. When I updated my "trips and tours" tab on the blog, I was reminded of how all our hiking plans in the Hocking Hills were thwarted because the park closed, even though other area parks remained open.

For those who love to explore and travel, this has been a disappointing couple of years. Plans that couldn't be made. Plans that were made and had to be postponed or canceled entirely. Plans that were cut short after arrival. Definitely hard, right? 

It reminded me of a letter I read probably twenty years ago in the Dear Abby column. Do advice columns even still exist? I don't know. Anyway. I used to love reading Dear Abby, and one day I found a letter that some young woman had submitted to Abby. She wrote in response to someone who had written in for advice, because she was getting older and not married. She feared she would die without ever marrying and her entire life would have been in vain because she never experienced the joy of a wedding day and life with a husband. I don't know what Abby said in response to that original letter, but I do remember the additional letter that came in from the young woman.

She was also single and hoped to one day be married. The thought had also crossed her mind that she might never marry, even though she wanted to. And one day, while she was stewing about that, she decided to make a list of all the other things that she had not done if she were to die that day. I don't remember the specific items on the list, but they could have been things like...never traveling abroad, never singing on Broadway, never climbing a mountain...you get the idea. 

If I remember correctly, she also included a list of things that she HAD done in her life to that point that reminded her she had lived well, despite all that she hadn't experienced. 

I thought about that letter as I looked over the list of adventures Ryan and I have had together. I thought of all the travel dreams we still have and how we don't know when or even if we'll get to take those trips. I hope we do, of course. But if we don't...

...I've stayed in a bed and breakfast with a fireplace in the room and eaten a delicious picnic dinner in front of said fireplace while wearing a fuzzy bathrobe.

...I've ziplined and lived to tell about it. ;)

...I've enjoyed an afternoon with Ryan on a completely deserted beach in Nassau, which is a place I never imagined even going in my lifetime, much less getting our own beach for the day.

...I've stood in the front row for the tree lighting on Monument Circle in Indianapolis, where I got the most amazing pictures because no one obstructed my view.

...I've flown a kite over Lake Michigan and watched sunsets from perches high atop the Michigan dunes.

...I've stood on the glass perch high up in the Willis Tower in Chicago.

...I've had a romantic dinner with Ryan on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building in Chicago, overlooking the bustling night life of the city.

...I've seen a bear in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and hiked trails to see waterfalls in that same park.

...I've seen the Atlantic Ocean, which is something I couldn't say until I was 32 years old! I stood with my feet in its waters, completely overwhelmed by the bigness of God.

...I've hiked Letchworth State Park in New York and seen breathtaking massive waterfalls.

...I've been to Niagara Falls in the autumn to see perfect foliage and stunning rainbows.

...I've walked across the border to Canada and seen the Falls from that side at night with all the light displays fading in and out.

...I've toured a huge working dairy farm and seen all the intricate pieces that keep it running.

...I've stayed on a Boat and Breakfast, falling asleep to the gentle waves each night.

...I've kayaked in Florida in a clear-bottomed boat and watched fish swim right underneath me.

...I've toured Mt. Airy, North Carolina and seen all the replicas from The Andy Griffith Show, and because we arrived on a snowy day, the place was mostly deserted, and we had it to ourselves!

...I've watched Ryan get a "haircut" from the real Floyd the Barber's son.

...I've toured the Biltmore at Christmas...in the snow. Breathtaking both inside and out.

...I've hiked dozens of state parks and conquered trails I never imagined I could do.

...I've driven through a Christmas light display in a cave deep underground.

...I've had dinner at rotating restaurants high in buildings with spectacular dinner views.

...I've been on two Caribbean cruises that took me to destinations I never imagined I'd see with my own eyes.

...I've ice skated on the pond at Kings' Island (and didn't fall)!

...I've stayed in a genuine tiny cabin with a hot tub - deep in the Hocking Hills of Ohio

...I've stayed in a loft above a coffee shop and done a chocolate tasting trail.

...I've churned butter and made rope - by hand!

...I've seen the stunning rock formations in Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park.

...I've gotten two stamps in my Little House on the Prairie passport book.

...I've stood inside the world's largest mailbox and sent out postcards from it.

...I've taken a boat ride inside the Opryland Hotel.

...I've stayed in my very own RV that we renovated ourselves.

...and so much more.

So yes. I do hope we have dozens - hundreds! - of travels ahead of us. But even if not, that's a pretty humbling and awe-inspiring list for this girl. Even if I never see the Pacific Ocean, the Grand Canyon, Haystack Rock, Route 66, The Appalachian Trail, all the national parks out west, Prince Edward Island, the lighthouse in Maine, and so much more from my dream list, I am so grateful for what we have done together. I am grateful for the list I have. 

If you're struggling with the disappointment of what hasn't happened or can't happen (which is valid!), I hope you are able to make a list of the beautiful things that have happened!