Up North

There is a lot that I miss about Minnesota.

The snow, even though I hated the cold.  The constant family gatherings, even though I didn't attend them all.  The Mall of America, having four seasons, and the cabin.

Going Up North is one of the many things that I didn't fully appreciate while I was growing up.  Spending a weekend miles away from my friends and my pager (hey, it was the 90's) was torture.  I can't count how many weekends on the lake that I passed up to drive aimlessly in some boy's car.

Now as an adult, I crave the cabin.

There is something about it that draws me inward.  The calm of the lake calls me to set down my phone, disconnect so that I can reconnect.  And even though it is equipped with central air and wifi, I'd rather be outside with the humidity and the mosquitoes.

After a week in the city, I was ready for a good retreat.

Slower play, longer walks, bonfires, and fishing.

Well, if you count dropping a line and immediately pulling it back up as fishing.  Josie doesn't quite have the patience for the sport.

We were only at the cabin for a few days, but the calming effects are lingering.

The kids slept hard each night and so did I.  Fresh air will do that to you.

I'm an intense busy body.  So this slow down is good for me.

I've been making a million little notes on little things I want to work on.  God speaks louder up here.  Or maybe I'm just listening a little better.  Either way, I'm learning and bending and letting Him scrape off what needs to go and nurture what needs to stay.

It was a great trip Up North.

But then again, when is a trip that includes s'mores ever not a great trip?