The week of Thanksgiving, I went to visit my dad for the first time since he moved to Cheboygan, Michigan in June.
My dad lives pretty far off the beaten path. He's located about 45 minutes past the Mackinaw Bridge and several miles off a dirt road. He lives in an old farm-house (date built: unknown). It's definitely a fixer-upper, but it's got charm. I, personally, love old homes. Most of the homes up there are either old quaint farm-houses or trailer homes. To me, it's perfect.
While driving up, I couldn't help but smile to myself. The drive is so beautiful and peaceful. I take the Lake Michigan Circle Tour that follows the lake shore for a majority of the long 6 hour and 45 minutes drive. It's so relaxing to watch the waves crash against the shore and feel the reflection of the sun on the water.
When I got up to my dad's place, I quickly realized that I would be disconnected from everything (my dad didn't have Wi-Fi and there aren't many cell towers around), and I was more than okay with that.
We were up every morning at 4am and watched the sunrise and sunset. We watched as the woods awoke and watched as it went back to sleep. While sitting in my tree stand, I had some pretty incredible experiences. My first morning out hunting, a wood pecker flew past me and landed on the tree below me. I had never seen one before so it was so amazing to watch the bird fly around to all the surrounding trees and peck away. Another cool experience happened two evenings later while sitting at a different tree stand. I started to get anxious because I hadn’t seen any deer moving yet and right as I was thinking that nothing was out there, a huge flock of cute little birds came flying into my tree and began scoping out the pine cones. I could look over to my left and right and there was a little bird right there on the branch next to me. I was immediately reminded that there was so much more in front of me than just what I was looking for. Yes I might have been waiting for a deer to cross my path, but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t enjoy everything else that was going on around me. Later that evening just when there wasn’t much light left, an owl landed on a tree directly in front of me. I froze and admired how beautiful it was so up close. When it flew away, I couldn't help but smile ear to ear. What an amazing thing to witness! And all because I was spending time outdoors.
If there was one thing I learned while sitting out in my tree stand, it was to appreciate life. Being disconnected for that short week was the best thing for me. I was more attentive to what was right in front of me. Life, for that small amount of time, was simple.
It is so important to to get outside more and appreciate the beauty of every season. Regardless of the cold weather approaching. There are still so many things you can do outside this winter: snowmobiling, ice skating, sledding, building a snowman with your kids, snowball fights, walking through Christmas lights displays, etc. The options are endless! This winter, make it a habit of leaving your house and getting outside more. Turn off your phones, relax and enjoy everything that nature has to offer. You won't be disappointed.