Go Do Something Fun!
I sat in a comfortable cushioned seat as the professor scribbled away on the large chalkboard in the auditorium that my organic chemistry class was in. One board would get filled up and then using a pully system, that board would be raised and another lowered. I had never seen such a large chalkboard wall before!
The thing about chalk boards is that when something is erased the chalk residue is left…that is until someone takes the time to clean them with a wet sponge. That rarely happened in organic chemistry, but occasionally the professor’s graduate student would be given the task of cleaning all those chalk boards and they would be clean and dust free for a bit until the teaching and writing began again.
The New Year can be seen like a big, clean chalkboard – glistening and just waiting for us to fill with all of our hopes, dreams, resolutions and goals. While this can be an exciting and promising time for many people, I tend to look at that board and sense dread growing like a shadow lengthening in a setting sun and feel drudgery pulling at me like a toddler grabbing his mommy’s legs. So many years, hopes get erased leaving chalky dust behind. The goals are forgotten or crossed out for one reason or another. I feel much better leaving my goals and desires unwritten and sometimes even unspoken so that inevitable feeling of falling short and not meeting my own expectations is less marked. However, we do all have goals we hope to achieve, even if they remain in the recesses of our minds, in the back corners of our consciousness.
So my encouragement to you is to go do something fun! Forget about the giant blackboard and do something different than the ordinary and maybe along the way some of those goals will be accomplished while you aren’t paying attention. Things like spending quality time with your kids, getting outside, discovering some new local spots, seeing the real Florida, being active and seeing God in His creation!
Here are 5 ideas to get you thinking outside the box and exploring right here in central Florida:
- Go hiking at Colt Creek State Park. Cost: $4/vehicle. Walk through majestic pine glades and see dozens of different kinds of birds. Level, grassy trails are smooth enough for even the little ones to come along!
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/colt-creek-state-park
- Go canoeing at Hillsborough River State Park. Cost: $6/vehicle and then $25/canoe. If you are lucky you will spot some huge gators and other wildlife on any easy paddle down and back.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/hillsborough-river-state-park
- Dig at the Mulberry Phosphate Museum. Cost: Free. Learn about the incredible fossils that have been found right here in Bone Valley. Let the little ones dig in the fossil pit for shark teeth and more!
http://www.mulberryphosphatemuseum.org
- Swim at Lithia Springs. Cost: $2/vehicle and then $2/person to swim. The spring’s year round water temp of 72 degrees provides an invigorating experience on warm days. Bring a net and let the kids try to catch the variety of minnows and small fish that dart in and out around the rocks. They will love it!
https://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/locations/lithia-springs-park
- Play a round of frisbee golf at Carter Rd. Cost: Free, bring your own frisbee. Enjoy walking through an oak hammock and seeing the sunlight filter through the trees as you work on perfecting your frisbee skills. Make it a point to laugh at yourself along the way!
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21