The Moments That Matter - Ike’s Odyssey

We spend much of our days doing things that aren’t important; work-related drudgery, internet surfing, aimless daydreaming (as opposed to the productive kind which fuels our imagination), and numbing ourselves in front of the television. The days slip by and it is hard to say what was really accomplished during that time. Every now and again though, a moment comes along that feels “real”; where you connected with a person or a place, or made a difference in someone’s life. I had such a moment a few weeks ago on Michigan’s sunrise coast with my girls.

*The best kid trips are not rigorously planned, but rather are simply allowed to unfold*

*Every rock and log is a potential source of entertainment*

*“I am a grumpy old troll. If you want to cross this bridge, you have to answer my riddle”*

*A grumpier old troll. “Daddy, you said there wouldn’t be any mosquitos”*

*The girls seem to regard me as their own personal fashion photographer*

*Never too young to learn how to bushwhack*

“It’s a real dragon egg, daddy. If I keep it warm, it’s going to hatch”
Somehow, the “egg” found its way into my pack on the walk back

*The model emerges at first sight of camera*

*Returning to camp after a failed attempt to find a suitable beach*

*Kids are not good at avoiding poison ivy- even when warned repeatedly*

*Up before dawn on a brisk fall morning*

*Lone heron soars over the sunrise coast*

*They somehow managed this all the way back*

This was not a “perfect” trip, complicated by a bunch of factors, including the first middle-of-the-night tent-wetting I’ve experienced. I talked about it with the girls on the way back.

“I know things don’t always go as planned- sometimes it’s all mosquitos and poison ivy-”

“-and no beaches”, Rowan added

“But I love spending time with you doing these things”

“I love giving you wet willies in the tent”, Rowan replied