The Lesson of a Winding Road

Photo by Lukas Frykman

When I was young and learning to memorize the names of the states in the U.S., Florida, Idaho, Tennessee, California and Texas were easy to recognize because of their shapes. The same went for my home state of Wisconsin, as the peninsula of Door County sticks out like the thumb of a hand.

My oldest sister has never been to Door County, so my other sister and a friend and I headed up to the peninsula for a day trip. One of the peninsula’s must-see attractions is a winding, 1.5-mile stretch of Highway 42, which brings you to the tip of the peninsula and Lake Michigan.

They say there is no rhyme or reason why the road’s designer, Jens Jensen, designed the curving path, but it is thought that his goal was to make people slow down, relax, notice their surroundings more, and just enjoy the ride.

Whenever I take a day off from work I come back to a mess on my desk and wonder if it was worth taking the time off. Mentally, I needed this day trip to be away from the stress of work and life, and to spend some time and have some fun and laughs with my sisters and friend.

Driving that winding road made me realize the need to slow down, relax, and enjoy the beauty and healing power of nature, and to just enjoy the ride.

I can hear some of you say you can’t afford to take any time off. But, I know every one of you have must-see attractions in your state and probably, like my sister, have never ventured out to explore them. While you might come back to a mess on your desk, take the road trip and enjoy the ride. Take it from me, it’ll be well worth it.