It feels good — so damn good — to be back up North.
My North Woods. The Birch and Aspen trees. The loons. That clear bright Michigan sky.
Brother and I took off what I deemed as relatively early and TC referred to as, so f-ing late you might as well not even leave today. It was 10, by the way. And that was after gas and Kroger stops.
Brother and I have a thing about wanting to have our own stock piles of food around. Maybe we both starved in another life, but we never go anywhere without being armed with tons of food.
TC makes fun of us for this and our, uppity all organic bullshit but I simply insist it’s better for us and we feel turbo charged eating our green power foods.
My chargedness lasted approximately three hours of driving. I thought that was pretty damn good for only 4 and a half hours of sleep {stuff! I’m telling you — it’s the long list of “stuff” that keeps me from sleep the night before any trip} and I immediately fell asleep for two hours in the back seat. Only to be awakened to the annoying sound of Brother slurping empty air through a straw.
Possibly the most annoying sound I could remember in the last two weeks. Thanks, Starbucks and your fancy whipped cream.
The drive was uneventful on the road front and very eventful in the other worldly round realm. I like to play a game with The People on road trips where I ask them for signs via license plates.
We saw: LV2EMPWR, LV LYF, GDCNTRL {we weren’t sure if that was for God or God Damn — we know what TC would have thought, but my glass half full self opted for God}, and numerous great bumper stickers that promised things like worrying is useless and trust.
Right. So now I need to put these self help messages into practice.
Brother and I made a pact on the way up. We would try for this whole week we’re here to be happy. That’s it. Just happy.
It amazes me how GD hard that is, by the way. Staying consistently happy. Letting things go. WHY does it feel so much safer and better to hold on sometimes? Keep the anger or fear?
My guess is, it’s to protect us. Except it never helps and it never really ends up protecting us.
Brother and I will be using this time to do what we do best: hike. Lose ourselves in nature and exploring. That alone serves as a great re-set for us. We’re already scoping some long 14-15 mile hikes we have in mind for the Fourth.
So very thankful to be here; to have this place to call our own. Here’s to a week of happiness, and wedding planning.
Ohyeah. Did I fail to mention that? Yours truly will be planning — me planning shit! — make that finalizing nuptial plans. Obvs I needed to have Brother here for moral support and to make the important decisions, like quinoa with dinner or kamut {or other things I don’t know how to correctly pronounce}.
I’ve left him in charge of the dinner menu. Rehearsal too. One less thing I have to do. He can go to caterer meetings for me.
Enough updating. Douglas Lake calls. Specifically some post driving yoga on the dock, taking in the sunset. Wish you were here, too.