Reach out

I can’t help but mention that in the last month or so, I’ve read or heard quite a bit about the following:

If you have the thought to do something good or say something kind, do it. 

I was reading Ernie Johnson Jr.’s Memoir, Unscripted, and he had a passage on page 154 that I failed to completely remember of write down (ha!), but his basic gist was to reach out and say something kind to someone if you have an inkling to do it.  

How many times do we have those moments? I get them a lot and act on about 25 percent of them. And that’s an improvement! I used to do it about 5 percent of the time. My fear of what people would think was stopping me. But Ernie says people will always appreciate it, period. And I believe the guy. 

Capitol Reef in the winter

We did it again! We went to Capitol Reef in the cold just like last year and it was wonderful. It was in the fifties and sunny, making it perfect weather for hiking. Doing it with our cousins made it even better!

We made it to Cassidy Arch and enjoyed the views, ate lunch, and played the melodica.

Some of us did it with bare feet. 

We found perfect places to sit and smile. 

Sulphur creek was frozen in some spots, so we slid along the ice. 

Others slept. 

We hiked to Hickman Bridge. This was a very easy hike to a beautiful site. 

The water along this trail was running rapidly. The kids threw mud and rocks, leaves and sticks. 

It was so nice to spend all day outside because it’s been weeks since we’ve done that. I could have sat by this river for another few hours in the sunlight. So therapeutic. So awe inspiring. So perfect. 

The kids were great hikers. Ian woke up the first day lamenting, “Do we have to hike today?” By the end of the trip he was excitedly asking, “Can we go on a hike today?” Mission accomplished. 

Elsie wanted to stop and play in the sand everywhere we went. 

Ansel and Oliver were busy with the cousins up at the front of the pack, so we didn’t get as many photos with them. Those kids are fast!

We played games at the hotel and swam in the pool. A perfect trip. As we drive away from Torrey, clouds were forming and snow was coming. We definitely lucked out with weather and timing. Such a splendid time!