Sunday, June 9, 2013

Goal Number 3 Completed and New and old Friends Met

Okay, so for those of you who have been reading my blog as of late, I am focusing on facing my fears and meeting new goals.  As I have said, my life has changed greatly in the last year.  I could have crumbled and let it ruin me, or I could have learned and grown from it and make life amazing!  I am working on the latter.  I must say, God works in mysterious ways and can bring beauty out of tough times.

So back to the goal.  Goal number 3 was camping completely on my own!  I decided not to let the fact that I am single with few friends in my area rule my world and keep me from doing the things that I love.  Instead, I got up off of my butt and proved to myself that it's okay to go camping alone.  In fact, it's pretty darn fun!  Not only that, but sometimes you get a few surprises - like a restoration in your faith that there are still really good and really friendly people out there.  That's what happened to me.

On Friday I drove down to Turkey Run Campground, Inc. in Parke County.  Turkey Run is my favorite place to go hiking and camping.  I just wish it weren't so far away!  Anyway, the manager of the campground came and talked to me as I was setting up my camp.  Jill was a fabulous hostess!  She was friendly and personable, and made sure that I was doing well all weekend.  It's awesome how she is working on restoring the campground!  She has done a beautiful job so far!  I enjoyed Jill's personality as well as her attention to her guests.  She is a great lady!

My campsite - isn't it cute?!
 
 
The next people I met - two guys and a girl - I met when I was having trouble making my campfire.  Now, I have never made a campfire on my own before.  Next time I will take lighter fluid along with my newspaper.  Anyway, Michael, Jay, and Kelsey were kind enough to help me build a fire.  Little did I know how much they would help to restore my faith in the kindness of others.  Later they invited me to come and hang out with them.  I accepted and we talked for quite some time.  The rest of the group came late, and I retired shortly after they got there.  In the morning I met the rest of the crew - Lacey, Tank, Anna, Whitney, and Shelby.  Saturday afternoon and evening they were wonderful enough to ask me to join them for volleyball, dinner, and all around fun!  The thing about this group though...not only did they help and invite me, but they helped and invited anyone who needed it.  All of them were so friendly and amazing.  I believe that God put them in my life to help remind me that even though I have not encountered the nicest people in the last year, good friendly people are still out there.  They still exist.  They are still amazing.  They helped make this weekend serendipitous!
 
The Bloomington Illinois Crew

 
Finally, not only did I make new friends (who I hope to see again), but I reconnected with one from college.  Kim lives near  Turkey Run.  We don't get to see one another often, but she is one of my most favorite people.  Kimmie and I share a lot of the same positive attributes.  I love her so much.  She and her daughter Addie met me for a hike.  She helped remind me that even though my family and close friends are wonderful and here for me, that positivity is the way to go!  When life gets us down, we always try to steer towards the positive sides of life.  Kim has been there for some of the toughest times in my life, and I am so grateful to have her.  The best thing is that whenever Kimmie and I do get together - no matter whether we haven't seen each other in months or years - it seems like no time has passed between us.  We are kindred spirits, and I love her!
 
Kim and I
 
Addie and I

 
The point of this post is not just to celebrate meeting my third goal - camping by myself - but to celebrate the serendipitous moments in life that truly remind us what life is all about.  I am a truly blessed person, and this weekend has restored more of my positivity.  I am grateful for the friends - new and old - that I came into contact with this weekend.  It was just what I needed . . . funny how life does that!


1 comment:

  1. Greetings, Stephanie!

    I am in Maine for a week after having spent 17 days in Italy and Germany, so I'm just catching up on some blog reading during my down time.

    Your camping trip sounds like it was just great. How awesome to meet good people. The not-so-good ones tend to be in our faces much more frequently, yes? We met some great people in Europe and there were angels put in our path quite few times when we needed them.

    I think your new challenges for yourself sound amazing. You rock!

    Jan

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