Friday, July 02, 2010

Blueridge Parkway

It is on my bucket list, I want to drive the all 469 miles of the Blueridge Parkway, I have been on short sections of it, and recently on my way back from a wonderful weekend with family at a wonderful Bed & Breakfast (a converted barn) we detoured through a short section of the Parkway, and paid a delightful visit to Mabry Mill which is the most photographed location on the Parkway. But job and life called and after a peaceful hour and half it was time to reconnect with the interstate highway system and head home.

One of the reasons I like this road (in addition to the mountains, fresh air etc.) was that is is not a road that is about getting somewhere, it is all about being somewhere. The enjoyment is in the journey not the destination. The max speedlimit is 45 and it is less than that in many places so you are not going to get anywhere quickly, you must slow down and enjoy what is passing by your fenders. I confess that on most days I am not very good at that, it is all about the next appointment, meeting, lesson, sermon or video to be produced. It is what is coming that is important. The only problem is; I miss the blessings that are passing in a blur.

So why don't you join me in this exercise... for a moment slow down to 35 MPH, roll down the windows, turn off the stereo, take a deep breath and enjoy the blessings that are in this moment. You wll be amazed at what you notice and you may just reduce you stress a bit to boot.

Jesse Waggoner