This was a blog that was meant to be written on Sunday.
#WTF
I agree. June seems pretty seamless in just getting on and writing. Even with vacation, sitting down and writing didn’t seem like work. July has been a different story. I’m not one for checking out my stats too much, but days where there are zero views bug me like no other. It means I’ve not put out the content that I need to put out to reach reader, regulars and those new to the blog alike. Ideas are there. The thoughts are there. My focus seems to have decided to take a break!
#comebackplease
Thus, here I am writing Sunday blogs on Tuesday! Ugh!
Anyway, we all know that 2020 was a cluster of epic proportions. Without a doubt, it was the hardest year that most of us have had to deal with and rightfully so. And as we start to move ourselves back into “normal” (whatever that might look like), we get to see what we’ve lost and how we are regain it.
Today, we went to church. I know, shocking. Without a long drawn out explanation (which I deleted because, yuck), our current pastor is a good one to listen to and we’ve not gone in quite a while. As we walked out, we talked about how 8:00 AM church is a good thing because the rest of our day is free. His message was one that stuck with us and that not a bad thing either. For a long time, this was a rhythm of our life, that idea that we go to church to connect ourselves to others in a more spiritual manner. I’m not sure that rhythm is one that I want to continue, but we’ll have to wait and see.
After church, we had the day to ourselves, so we packed up our bikes, a cooler, and drove to Lansbouro, Minnesota to the Root River Trail. To say this a treasure that is only an hour’s drive away is an understatement. This is a well maintained trail that connects a number of little towns together. The hub, Lansbouro, is home to a number to great shops, eating options, and the Commonweal Theater, another gem in our region.
#sweet
Both of these attractions, the theater and the bike trail, are things we’ve done on a yearly basis for I don’t know how many years. We’ve camped, stayed at one of the many bed and breakfasts in the region, or simply made a day trip of it (like Sunday). We’ve seen some exceptional shows at the theater, shows that make you laugh, cry, or my favorite, spark conversation on the way out.
So as we get on our bikes and ride, it just feels right, like we are home, and we talk. Talk about life and kids and where we want to be and if we should buy a camper or not. We also talked about how we missed this last year and how often we’ve been up here over the years. The one thing we’ve not done, canoe or kayak the Root River, which maybe coming soon.
As we get older, we recognize those rhythms of our lives: fair season, annual trips, fall football games, and when those are missed, it leaves holes in our soul. Our souls were filled, just a little bit, with our trip. The only bad thing, we favorite eatery of our was closed up just before the pandemic hit. However, we found a new place to eat who served beer from a brewery where we went to college (Winona State). The beer was delicious (an oatmeal stout even my wife enjoyed!).
I think we’ve found our next road trip! Winona, here we come! 🙂
The Life of a Conflicted Teacher 
July 20, 2021 at 12:38 pm
This post is so relatable. We too find ourselves getting into old rhythms, missing some, and starting new ones.
July 23, 2021 at 10:09 am
And feeling that sense of “wow, I really like this” when those rhythms start to show themselves!
It’s different, but that’s not a bad thing. Just different.
July 20, 2021 at 1:04 pm
I enjoyed this Sunday summary of yours; I love how each part of the day seemed a treasure. This line spoke to me, especially: “Our souls were filled, just a little bit, with our trip.” When we get out and about, especially in nature, it does our souls so much good. Thank you for sharing!
July 23, 2021 at 10:12 am
We heard last week that two hours in nature a week does your immune system huge amounts of good! We enjoyed our time riding AND felt our souls recharge. A win-win situation for sure! 🙂
July 20, 2021 at 5:01 pm
Winona state, eh? My nephew goes to school there! You know, it’s strange. I spent June NOT in the habit of writing, and I’m trying to wrangle myself back into more of a habit. I also like how you wrote about the rhythms – daily, yearly, that bring structure and familiarity to what we do. There’s security in there…
July 23, 2021 at 12:05 pm
Writing, rhythms, they’ve all taken on a different form during a pandemic. I’m not about going back to pre-pandemic normal, so I don’t mind something different. However, that security you mentioned is something that’s never a bad thing! 🙂
July 22, 2021 at 6:41 am
Finding our way back to that former rhythm seems important. I’ve been stuck in my cocoon and can’t seem to break out. I say it’s because it rained 20 days in a row, it feels more like a fog, as if taking a long, long nap is in order. Hopefully I’ll let you inspire me to get back out there.
July 22, 2021 at 9:45 am
Glad you enjoyed your day trip! We’re headed back to Whalan (just east of Lanesboro) for a family weekend gathering in early October. Bicycled many times between Whalan and Lanesboro along the Root River State Trail. Hope we can all find our rhythm again soon. Vaccine hesitancy and variants have me worried, though. Hoping for some return to normalcy with the return of football season around the corner. Go Hawks!
July 24, 2021 at 2:45 pm
Go Hawks, indeed! The whole Root River Trail system is just an amazing place to go. So many small towns working for the common good is nice to see! It’s too bad we don’t see more of this, because small towns are drying up with the “I’ll go it alone” attitude.
July 24, 2021 at 2:48 pm
This isn’t to say that I much prefer the cocoon. Because of Covid, I’m further convinced of my being an introvert, but my wife now looks at herself more of one as well. Life is funny that way. We’ll continue to get out there, but I think we’ll continue to love our little piece of heaven the country as well.