Sometimes we all need to play hookey

If you read yesterday's post, you already know I'm stressed. Stress, quite simply, is not good for our health. And I've been feeling a bit unhealthy lately.

My husband had a vacation day yesterday. As he slept in, I worked. We enjoyed a late breakfast together and I headed back to work. As the afternoon wore on, I couldn't help noticing what a gorgeous day it was outside. And then I got an idea. Hesitantly, I went into the bedroom to present the idea to Bill. He had just changed into his work-outside-clothes. Looking at me, he detected that, "I want to go somewhere" look and I saw his countenance fall.

"What?"

A perfect cloudless sky

"Umm. What were you going to do now?" I asked hesitantly.

"Why? What do you want to do?" (He knows me so well.)

I sat down on the bed, scared to ask because my husband tends to say yes to me simply because he hates to disappoint me. I don't like when he does that. I'd rather he be honest and say no when he has other plans.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked, with a tad of dread in his voice. God forbid I'd say, "The mall."

"Well, since we never seem to do it early enough, do you want to go to the Wildflower Reserve?"

His expression changed. Without hesitation, he said, "Sure."

So off we went. The Wildflower Reserve is in Hookstown, PA, about 40 miles away. It's a long drive to simply go for a walk, but it was one of our favorite places to go when we were dating. Every year, we plan to go in the early spring so we can see the spring flowers. But we tend to be too busy, and we miss it. We go later in the season, or in the summer, and we miss the spring surprises and experience the bugs instead.

What a lovely way to play hookey. We walked for miles through the woods, down the trails to the creek and climbed back up, crossing over felled trees, muddy patches and tree roots. We looked for animal tracks and unique flowers and found quite a few of both. We forgot about work, and deadlines, and impending financial challenges that will accompany Bill's retirement next month. We didn't think about problems or taxes or even household chores left undone. We skipped talking about pink slime, BPA or GMOs. We held hands. We listened to the quiet. We enjoyed being unplugged. Ahhh. This is exactly what I needed.

I adore my husband. I relish the friendship we have. And I'm so glad we decided to take off on a cool, sunny April afternoon and enjoy the gift of creation and the joy of couplehood. Today, I'm thanking God for both.

When's the last time you played hookey? 

Sharing another glimpse into my life,

Hana