The Wrong Way

On vacation in the Northwest I decided to go for a walk today. I thought it would be nice to take Frogger to the historic downtown area just 2 and a half miles down the street. There are many old shops and landmarks there to see. My old ballet studio is located up one of the hills. I've driven the roads dozens of times but only a few times to actually take in the sights and feelings. As a plus, we were instructed to take a smaller road that ran parallel to the busy street that takes you to downtown. I loaded up the stroller and took off in high spirits.

Up the hill we walked on J street, searching for the small road. The further I climbed the more labored my breathing became. The back of my legs ached. It was such a large hill that it took all my willpower to keep climbing. Desperately I searched for my intended road, but it was no where in sight.At the top I made a few phone calls. I discovered to my utmost horror that I had in fact gone the wrong way.

Refusing to admit defeat I could not force myself to turn around. J street dead ended into W so I took off on W in the direction of downtown even though I did not know how to find it. W street was kinder than J had been. Instead of steep hills it was almost flat. I was able to catch my breath and calm my temper. Soon I noticed bus route signs along the street. I recognized the number and realized the signs led to the major bus stop downtown. For awhile I followed the bus signs until I recognized we were near a popular swimming and fishing spot along the river.

The water was too cold, the banks to high and the current too strong for safe swimming this early in the year, but I thought Frogger might enjoy the view of the water. We crossed the familiar bridge. On the other side I found a bike trail with a sign dictating that we were within 2 miles of downtown. The bike trail was shady from the tall trees and I relaxed. We had been walking for a long time but I no longer felt rushed. I had to admit the walk hadn't turned out as bad as I had thought when lost on J street. Maybe what really counted was finding this beautiful spot. Frogger walked along the trail to stretch her legs. It was nice.

I wonder if in life, it always works out like our ill fated trip. You have a plan, but somehow you take a wrong turn. The hill is steep and it takes everything you have to keep going. Then it evens out and after a little longer you find something better then you expected. If you had given up, you'd have found it. Maybe I'm being overly philosophical about it but I know one thing. I'm glad I went the wrong way. <3