What Stayed With Me Wasn't on the Itinerary

Last summer my husband, our son, and I finally got the kind of vacation we'd never had. A place we'd long wanted to experience. Most of our time away had been weekends here and there, a night or two, but never anything longer. I'm a planner, so our days driving down through the Keys were jam packed with stops I had researched and planned for months in advance. Some places were quirky, fun, and full of joy. Others gave us room to just wander.

Our days in Key West were full. We explored Duval Street, checked off a handful of attractions, and tasted key lime pie from several places. The moments that actually stayed with me were the ones I never planned for. These were the spaces between the plan.

Walking across the island before sunrise with only a few other early risers and the roosters, who turned out to be Key West's version of an alarm clock. The island was quiet but already stirring, waking up slowly around us. Another morning brought rain while we were out wandering the streets of Key West. We ducked into a small café for croissants and hot chocolate and just stayed in that moment, watching it fall instead of rushing past it.

Dry Tortugas was highly anticipated, a place that had been on my list since I first started planning the trip. We took the ferry out, two and a half hours across the open ocean. I stood at the rail most of the ride, taking in the fresh air. The wind, the motion of the boat, nothing to figure out and nowhere else to be.

Once we reached Fort Jefferson I found myself looking out through one of the old brick openings toward the ocean. The brick framed the view so perfectly it looked like a painting, and I just stood there and took it in.

This summer has looked nothing like that trip. I've been walking through a health situation I'll share more about eventually, which has been the opposite of rest and rejuvenation. Looking back at Key West reminds me why being present on vacation matters so much. We don't always know what season is coming next.

The roosters at sunrise. A rainy café. Key lime pie tastings that turned into their own kind of adventure. A view through old brick. Make the memories when you can, in whatever season you're in.

If travel and stillness feel like something you want more of, I share more of these moments over on Rooted and Roaming.