(written on December 16th and… January 29th 😅)
Today was a day filled with taking walks down memory lane–after I finally tore myself away from my vegetative state just before 1:30. 😶
It was fun, educational, and also… melancholic.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I tend to look back on past experiences with perhaps a shade of rose-colored glasses, forgetting the sad and hard things and remembering the good?
Sorry if I’m super repetitive. 🙃
Buuuuuut here it comes again. 🙃
There’s also an element of longing for things to be different than they turned out and regret for what happened.
Anyway, today was one of those days–purposefully initiated. I think everywhere I went today was a walk down memory lane (honestly, there wasn’t much else I was interested in seeing in this area).
First stop, after backtracking a little bit, was Cambridge, finding the Pizza Hut where Chase and Maya and I met up again after first meeting up in Northland.
Then I went over to the bench in the park where Maya and I met up again a week or so later? There were Christmas lights up, and it was dark and just beautiful. We sat there and talked for a long time.
I snapped some photos because I don’t think I got any from the trip three years ago?
From there, I headed west and then noticed I was driving near the Hamilton, New Zealand LDS Temple, so I stopped to take some pictures there as well.
Then on to Bridal Veil Falls, just South of Raglan, again another memory lane walk down, this time because Chase and I had traveled there with the Austrian girls.
I was alone this time, and it was a bit rainy, and very few other visitors.
I enjoyed visiting again… positive feelings and negative feelings… memories… regrets.
Looking at the map, I couldn’t really find much more I wanted to do, so I pointed my van toward Kawhia Hot Water Beach, rolling in about 9 p.m.
There were other campers there in a huge multi-room tent, and they were rather loud until late. 🙃
Fortunately, I have my headphones. 🙏
Oh! I remember last time, one of the Austrian girls alerted me to a possum that was in the tree near where we’d parked.
There were a bunch tonight. One on the fence, and lots of glowing eyes in the tree. 🙃
Lift the world.
Bring it on.
~ stephen
Lift the World 