OFF THE BEATEN PATH

My husband, Joe, and I live in a small city. Every weekday I commute a short distance west on the Interstate to the suburbs where I care for two small children. It's an easy commute -- 20 minutes at the most -- past shopping centers, gas stations, fast food restaurants, schools, hospitals, the "Y", & several subdivisions. I often feel, as I zoom along to work in the morning, that my car knows the way by heart. For the most part, I see the same familiar scenes each day.

But recently, I discovered a "back way" to the childrens' preschool. It takes us past horses & pastures & an occasional cow, then down a windy road through the woods. At the bottom of the hill is an old mill pond. A narrow bridge crosses the bubbling stream where the waterwheel still turns. As we slow down to cross the bridge, sometimes we can see Canada geese swimming gracefully along in formation. At other times, we can see the ducks line up along the spillway -- and so, we have to slow down to say hello to the ducks...

I can't begin to tell you how refreshing this short ride through the countryside has been for me!! It is sooooo renewing to get off the beaten path, even just for a little while!

Written 10/24/06