Huguenot Flatwater Park, The Secret Garden

Being a grown-up is hard. Being a parent is both amazing and impossible. All of a sudden, you're handed this tiny person and with a slap on the back (Good Luck!), you embark on the journey of parenthood. No one calls your references or runs a background check. Overnight and without any real preparation whatsoever, you're completely in charge of a tiny, precious human being. I remember leaving the hospital after Lucy was born, getting into the car and somehow expecting somebody to come barreling out of the front doors, yelling "Wait! There's a mistake! These people are NOT qualified to be parents!" Or something like that.


Ok, she's cute. Now what do we do?

Anyway, we've somehow managed to raise a pretty awesome person so far (jury's still out, she's not even 4 yet). Here's hoping she won't turn out to be a total snob, or worse, like someone who drives in the left lane of a 2-way highway, going under the speed limit for absolutely no reason other than to annoy everyone around her. Now that would be a bummer.

Anyway, being a parent can be really tough, especially when it comes to making major decisions for your child that she can't yet make for herself.

We're in the middle of that decision-making parental responsibility zone right now as we make decisions about school for our kiddo. Long story short, we are facing some choices that will likely not make a giant difference when she's 35, but seem pretty dang important right now. Kindergarten. We've been visiting schools, meeting with administrators and trying to navigate through the decision-making process for our future grade-schooler (and President of the United States, of course).

For me, my best thinking, praying and decision-making happens where most of the magic usually happens...out on the trail.

Old Westham Bridge, Huguenot Flatwater Park

This morning, I headed down to the river for some dirt therapy. I started on the trails at Huguenot Flatwater, then trotted along Riverside Drive to Pony Pasture. After looping around the main trail at PP I headed back to Flatwater, finishing up at around 5 miles. It was an especially beautiful Spring morning in RVA, and I couldn't help but feel like Mother Nature was plain showing off. It was that pretty. I needed some quiet time and the trail delivered. Big time.



If you've ever wondered what a real "Secret Garden," feels like, check this out.

Did I solve the world's problems in my hour on the trail? Of course not. Did I come to any major conclusions about the future of my kid's education? Not really. But, I did leave with a sense of that everything will be okay, that she'll probably go to college and that she'll definitely be a total jerk when she's 13 no matter where she goes to Kindergarten.

Hanging with my river rat at Pony Pasture

Gosh, I feel better.

















Check out Huguenot Flatwater Park HERE http://www.richmondoutside.com/destination/huguenot-flatwater-jrps/