I live my life through songs.
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Throughout my day a song plays in my mind and uplifts me. Usually, it is the one I have most recently arranged. Therefore, for the past few weeks I’ve been humming the melody for my song “The Door” and this post title is a lyric line from that song.
My trip to Yosemite in the winter was fantastic and during the day the sun was shining and warm. I had originally thought it was an inhospitable season to take this trip. The lodge I booked was historic and I thought that rooms were still available during Christmas week only for that reason.
I share some humor with a lyric rewrite (changes in italics):
When I close the door and it’s no secret anymore
Then you’ll know
I had to pee for hours
It’s freezing in the snow!
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Those words are because the price was significantly more expensive with a bathroom in the room. I opted for the less expensive option of using a communal bathroom.
At night, this beautiful view was dark.
Our room was the first door on the right. The bathroom was at the end of the hallway.
I was actually humming those words as I dashed outside in 25-degree weather to use the bathroom at night. I definitely kept a lookout for bears, too.
I wondered how it would be during a snowstorm!
Our hotel lobby was beautifully decorated. There was a gingerbread house display behind us.
The drive to Yosemite went smoothly. It was not at all the “wasted day” I had thought it would be. Joni and I sang along to my music for five hours.
Joni was my childhood friend.
My heart was bursting when she told me she never got tired of listening to my music – but even I was a little tired of it after that drive.
Our families lived in the same apartment/coop building when we were growing up (I currently live there and she lives a mile away with her husband).
Joni and I played hide and seek together as young children. We savored Monopoly marathons. When we were in high school, she serenely listened to me play my guitar while sitting on a bench during lunch. My parents included her on many family vacations and we both had wonderful memories from those times.
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Now we were adults in our fifties. Stress was a constant companion for both of us and we decided this trip was an opportunity to leave all worries behind. We would restore our souls!
When I picked her up earlier that morning, Joni beamed and told me that this trip was exactly what she needed.
I was sure glad she appreciated our trip. If she hadn’t agreed to go with me, I would not be meeting Sandra Callahan in Yosemite. How amazing it was that I was taking a trip I never expected in order to meet a fellow blogger!
Joni and I stopped to take a picture near the entrance to Yosemite Valley. The weather was amazing!
We arrived at 2:00 p.m. The check-in time at the rustic lodge where we would be staying was 5 p.m., but the clerk was warm and gracious and allowed us to go right to our room. I began to feel my body relaxing with the smell of pine and burning wood. It was heavenly.
Up until the last hour of the five-hour drive, no mountains were visible. The landscape was dreary and the sky was dingy. But as the road began to climb into the Sierra mountains, colors began to brighten and the deep blue sky was glorious. The magical forest was like a long-lost friend welcoming me.
Patches of snow with deep blue shadows glistened in the distance. My eyes were teary and foggy at the same time. I closed them and breathed in the brisk air with deep appreciation. I was pleased that our room was comfortable and quaint. The forest view was inspiring. I was so happy to be in this beautiful place!
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After Joni and I rested, I was ready to meet Sandra and her husband, Chris. They were the reason I had taken this trip.
When I arrived, the clerk had given me paper and an envelope so I could send a message. I went to the front desk, gave the clerk my note and went back to my room.
It was getting dark. I was playing my guitar while Joni quietly read a book. The loud knock at the door startled me. With enthusiasm I put down my guitar and jumped from my chair.
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I threw open the door and loudly announced, “We meet at last!”
But to my surprise, it was not Sandra in front of me.
I was so embarrassed!
Instead, it was the elderly porter who had carried our bags hours earlier. He handed me an envelope. The message was simple. The Callahans would meet me in the lobby.
How would I recognize them? I only knew Sandra from reading her blog and she never posted pictures of herself. Up until a week ago, I wasn’t even certain Sandra would be able to make this trip. A terminal heart condition plagued her with fatigue and pain.
I read the note and my heart was racing with excitement.
I was really going to meet her!
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© Judy Unger and http://www.myjourneysinsight.com 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Judy Unger with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
