Read the Sign

This morning I took the wrong path. Or better said, I didn’t take the correct path. My husband, Sam, and our precious “Prissy” poodle and I were hiking a trail at Sam’s favorite place, on Santa Rosa Island near Fort Pickens, Florida. It was chilly and sunny with clear blue skies. White sand made a clear path to easily follow.
We were fully aware that no dogs were allowed on the beach. It’s against the law, in fact. So we were taking her on the trails up to the edge just before the beach. Sam was consumed with a bald eagle in its nest on top of a nest-foundation post. He has a new camera and was taking gazillion photos. Prissy was getting cockleburs in her paws that I was removing every ten feet or so. Their sharp stickers always surprise me. No wonder she didn’t want to walk on them.
When we reached the seashore Sam decided to stay for a while and Prissy and I headed back. Sam gave me quick verbal instructions on which path to take on my return to our RV campground. I have to tell you here, I hate verbal instructions. I’m a totally visual learner. So I didn’t pay attention. How complicated could it be? Well, I made one wrong turn and ended up in another campground, Loop C, about a half-mile from Loop A where our RV was located. Which meant, of course, that I had to walk another half-mile back. The problem was that I didn’t know how to find my way back.
Thank goodness for my Christmas present-an Apple watch. I called Sam and he told me how to find him on the beach. As I found my way to Sam on the beach I practiced my exact words to any official who dared give me a citation for having a dog on the beach. “I’m a senior citizen who got lost. Don’t you even think about giving me a ticket. Especially since I see numerous other dog tracks on this beach.”

We found Sam waiting and he knew better than to say, “didn’t you see the sign?” On the way back in I did see it: “Loop A ->” it clearly read.

Back at the RV we cleaned Prissy’s feet and had lunch. I couldn’t help thinking of the metaphor. It is a lot of trouble getting back on track when you take the wrong path or fail to read the sign.

Related posts: “Not Alone on the Path” and “What I Learned on Career Path”

I raised three children as a single mother before I remarried. I have experienced the potholes, pests, and perils of being the single head-of-household. As an educator in regular and special education for twenty years I know a great deal about child development and how to handle kids. I am the founder of SMORE for Women, a nonprofit whose goal is Single Moms, Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, and Empowered. I’m also a Certified Professional Coach and my stories have been published in several Christian books and magazines. My book, Living Learning Loving is available on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble online.