Have You Been Forced To Slow Down?

It's so fun to have spent the summer launching another new story in a novella collection out into the book world! Especially sharing it with the ladies here at Coffee Cups and Camisoles.

While I spent a summer redefining my perspective, I spent a week at the birthplace of my story in the Of Rags and Riches Collection. It was so great to be hunkered down in a cabin in the woods, dip my toes in the lake, play along the banks of the Flambeau River in the footsteps of Abby and Charles Farrington the Third, and even catch a glimpse of Harold the Squirrel. :)

Escaping from life is often something we attempt to do in the summertime. Life, however, followed us to the cabin, where my health issues resurfaced and I spent most of one evening on the couch warding off the mysterious non-epileptic seizures that had planted me in the hospital two weeks prior.

Carrying on the elements of perspective, I watched my husband hike my kiddos to the lake to have fun without me while I lay on the couch fully exhausted and a bit weepy from being the reason we had to "slow down" even more on our vacation.

But in the end, perspective was exactly what was needed. Being forced to slow down even more, meant aggressive hikes and jaunts into the woods turned into a long car ride of relaxation to the shores of Lake Superior. We spent the day there, beach combing, reading, playing in the water, and drinking in the sun. It wasn't necessarily what we'd planned, but it became a special memory none-the-less.

I think as we slow down, we realize that while our initial plans may be thwarted, there are even better ones waiting to be discovered.

I found that out this summer? Have you had similar experiences?