Maybe it's not about closing doors or opening them

I haven't been to the Crosby Farm since my friend Jason and I went hiking there years ago. Last year, one of our very first dates Dave took me there and I had to act like I've never been there and that I actually liked going there. It's not that I didn't like going there..it was just that it was well....boring.

Yesterday we decided to take our second trek down there in almost a year.
"Have you been on the other side...not the river side but in the woods?" I asked and Dave replied "no" so needless to say I was excited because if anything this was the best part of the trails there. There is this big crack just in the middle of the park that looks so incredible, and there is also a cool cave which you can brush your fingers along the walls and wipe the sand away. As we were walking I found myself excited for Dave to see these things. I had already seen these things and wasn't too excited to see them again but for Dave they will be magnificent. At least that's what I thought..anyways.

As we reached the Big divide I realized it has changed greatly since the last time I had been there years ago with Jason. Jason and I both decided to try to crawl into the great crack seeing how far we could go but it was so narrow Jason won due to the fact that you could mistake him for a rail. So I hung out on the outside while he crawled through waiting for a help signal to call someone. But he came out all gross and full of sand and I said , "Well what was on the other side? What was in there?"
"And he said..."Nothing...it was just really gross"
But yesterday the walls had eroded so much that you could easily walk through without even having to touch them. I couldn't believe it. I, Carrie Bunker, due to not having to starve myself will see what was inside the crack..even the great almighty grossness.
As I could barely contain my excitement we realized that at the end was a waterfall. Not a glorious beautiful - this is what I think of when I think of waterfall - waterfall but just run off water that was gushing from the top layer of soil and trees and was trickling down to form a small pond and stream. It was really something amazing. I can't tell you how much I have been waiting for a surprise that is in the ordinary. It really revived some aliveness.

There were other things, that had I not known Dave or been on our journeys I would have never noticed. For example Dave had shown me what Columbines were and how you eat the ends and can taste sweet honey. They had a lot of Columbines at the park and it was wonderful to have those again a whole year later.

Lately, I feel that I'm learning a lot on mindfulness which has been a great joy to me. While I am not totally perfect, I really wish I would have started being a stronger, mindful me earlier in life but I'm grateful that at least I'm learning now.