Cause I Am A Big Girl Now

The Road Trip

Last week I decided that, instead of driving straight home, I’d take the coastal route and make it a bit of a road trip, a holiday of sorts. Preparing for my little excursion was half the fun. The essentials included pocket knife, matches, burner, water bucket, picnic basket, food, sleeping bag, pillow, tarp, first aid kit… As I loaded up, I kept thinking of a line in one of my writings, “I have my pocket knife and matches cause I am a big girl now!” With lots of laughs and a thermos of coffee, it became the theme for my trip.

I took my time – 3 days to complete a 400 km journey. Stopping at each little nook and cranny that looked interesting, I soaked in the warmth of the days, the cool of the evenings, the scenery, the birds, the animals and the people.

I spent one evening with my sister, Juanita-Rose. We walked the beaches of Eastport, sharing stories and just enjoying the moments. I watched and listened as she prepared for a funeral service, saw the quilts she is making, a hooked rug that she’d started but never finished and she gave me some tips on embroidery – a time just for sisters. It being a new placement and new parish for her, she was just getting to know the area and already I could feel the spirit of the people.

In the morning, we hiked to the look-out in Salvage, found our way through the old cemetery at the top of the hill, then drove through the back roads exploring the history of the little communities and talking about life as it would have been years ago. I was thinking of something I heard somebody say,

“We have to know and understand our own history if we are going to be able to create our own future.”

Then off again to explore the possibilities of being “a big girl now’ and the creation of my own future. As I drove, my mind wandered from past to present, exploring pleasant memories of earlier times and I was never alone.

During parts of the drive, when cell service allowed, I called my others sisters and old friends just to say hello, see how they were doing and to share this experience. In those conversations there were fits and starts from the old to the new, the ‘remember when’ and the ‘Oh did I tell you about …”

I thought of some of the wonderful friends I’ve made over the years and how the quality of my life intertwines with the quality of those relationships. It brought to mind a poem I had written a few years ago, one that I have since shared with some of the special people in my life.

My Chest of Treasures
© 2017 Beulah Peyton Bouzane

We each have a chest of treasures
That we’ve collected as we move through time
Things that have made a difference
Would you like to know what’s in mine?

There’s a chest full of precious moments,
thrilling adventures, good poems and books,
quiet evenings, and hours of pleasure
as I walked or just sat near a brook.

But mostly my chest is o’er flowing
With special people I meet each day
Such good friends I’ve encountered
As I walk along my way.

Some are part of a time and space
Whether by design or even by chance
But they are nonetheless important
I call them friends of circumstance

Still others are friends for a lifetime
Who have been there through thick and thin.
You are one of those treasures
And it’s there that you fit in.

The Detour

And so I continued my journey. Down through Port Blandford, around the shore and back. It was getting late when I left Clarenville. Then there was a detour.

With only one road to follow, one would think it would be simple – down through and out the other side. But no! I managed to get lost along the way. Ending up in Little Hearts Ease I stopped to chat with two women who were out for an evening stroll. One said,

“You are pretty much at the end of the line. Unless that thing you’re in floats, you’re not getting past South West Arm.”

The three of us laughed and joked about my situation and then I turned around. Just another detour as I create my own future – cause I am a big girl now.

The Road Trip

The Detour

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