The View Along the Way

Yesterday we talked about how sometimes your focus can be so intent upon getting to the destination and the view from the top that you can miss the view along the way.  There is an old saying that reminds us to make sure we take the time to stop and smell the roses along the way and it is so very true.  The destination is where we are going, but the journey is where the living takes place.

Remember the story from the Gospel of Luke about Mary and Martha? Jesus had come to their home and Martha was so busy with the preparations that she didn't take the time to spend time with her Lord.  She was distracted and missed out on spending time with the Savior and enjoying His Presence.  Mary, on the other hand, sat at Jesus' feet and learned from him.  Martha was upset at her sister and Jesus lovingly told her that she was worried and upset about too many things.  He told her that really only one thing is important. He told her that Mary had made the better choice on how to spend her time.

I need to constantly remember that.  I am a really big fan of simplicity.  However, I tend to get lost in being busy and sometimes overlook the best things in life.  Are you like me in that sometimes you regret how you spend your time?

While we hiked on the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains, we tried to soak it all in and observe things along the trail instead of just eagerly anticipating the destination.  Had we had blinders on, we would have missed the wild blueberries growing on the side of the trail like many of the other hikers.

See 'em?

We didn't miss them!  We ate those bad boys.  It was a perfect time for a snack and it had just rained so the blueberries were washed.

What a treat!

Blueberries weren't the only thing growing along the trail.  There were blackberries, too!

Sometimes treats aren't limited to things you can eat.  Just look at the dewdrops on this spiderweb!

Beautiful

Now, I'm not a flower guy.  I much prefer things growing that you can EAT!  Technically, I guess you can consume part of this flower.  Near the top of Mt. LeConte, I looked down and saw the beautiful Gentian flower.  In this post from February: Moxie I told about a natural soft drink from Maine called Moxie that is made from the roots of this flower.  

Gentian Flower

Near the cabins of the LeConte Lodge, there were different flowers growing with honeybees buzzing around so loud you could hear them.

This interesting flower is called the Pink Turtlehead.  Can you see why?  Look at the one at the 9 o'clock position in the photo.  It looks like a turtle's head poking out from beneath its shell.

The Pink Turtlehead flower

I don't know what the name of this flower was, but it was brightly colored and kind of wild looking.

This beautiful purple clover flower made us think of our cows back home.  They would have absolutely demolished this patch of dew covered clover!

Purple Clover

I don't know what this yellow flower was either, but it had the shape similar to that of a sweet pea flower.

Along the side of the trail were numerous little waterfalls and springs coming from the side of the mountain. Russ drank from some of the streams and we joked with him about contracting intestinal worms.

It rained every single day and the moss on this rock was the brightest green I think I've ever seen.

These healthy ferns are growing right in the side of the rock with very little dirt.

In summary, it's best to enjoy the trip.  Sometimes you get to the destination and can be disappointed.  Case in point:  On the final day, Laura Lee and Russ wanted to go to Dollywood.  We left the campsite and drove to Pigeon Forge. There wasn't much traffic.  In fact we drove right to the front gate to drop them off.

We got there to find an empty parking lot.  It was SO funny.  So funny I had them get out of the car and took a picture of them in front of the empty parking lot.

Wally World

After getting more information, we learned that this was the first day in the season that Dollywood was closed.  Have you ever seen Family Vacation, the movie, where Clark (Chevy Chase) drove his family across the country to go to an amusement park called Wally World only to arrive to a closed park?  

Clark ended up punching a Wally world mannequin and abducting a security guard and forcing him to take his kids on the rides.  I didn't do any of that!  We enjoyed the journey and weren't just focused on the destination.