U-Turns Allowed

Sometimes the very best experiences come from those that are not planned, but instead from those that you just stumble upon.  Over the weekend, Ralph and I stopped for breakfast at McDonalds.  As we were enjoying our morning together, we noticed that Clayton Mobile Homes had a home show display set up in the parking lot at Smokies stadium.  If you have never visited one of these, you don't know what you are missing.

Whether you are a fan of mobile homes or not, there are few places where you can visit 20+ homes in one location.  My guess is that most people visit these homes because they are planning to purchase one.  I, on the otherhand, love to visit because they always are fully decorated with the latest trends in design, art, and colors.  I never leave a show without my mind bursting with ideas for my own home.  One of the coolest things I saw was a new mount for the flat-screen TVs.  This mount allowed the TV to swivel from the living room to the kitchen.  The backside of the TV was encased in a wood panel which allowed the mounting of a picture to that.  So if you had the TV facing the kitchen, a nice picture faced the living room and vice versa.  Cool idea.

We had a great time touring the homes.  When we set out that morning, we planned to go for breakfast and then to the grocery store.  But what a nice little surprise that we stumbled upon.  In the past our life has been so hurried and so purpose driven that we rarely took the time to enjoy those things we stumble upon.  It is a refreshing change that we are now free to make a u-turn once in awhile when something catches our eye.  I kind of look at it as a way of "stopping to smell the roses."

When the kids were little, we used to play a game when we were a bit bored.  We would just get in the car and start driving.  When we came upon an intersection, I would allow the kids to pick which way we would go.  There were no rules, just drive.  It was a fun way to just enjoy the scenery.  We played this game alot.  You would think that our kids would have a great sense of direction, right?  Unfortunately, both of them are directionally challenged.  I don't get it!

Anway, when was the last time you jumped in a car with no idea where you were going?  Sometime in the near future, slow down on the way to your destination.  Pay attention to what is around you.  You might find a beautiful stream, a wild turkey walking through a field, or even an unexpected yard sale.  Either way, I challenge you to be in the car more than five minutes and not see something that will make you smile!  And who of us couldn't use a little more smiles in our life??  Come back and share your u-turns with us!