10/29/2023

Hello Blog Readers,

[[Edit] This was originally a much longer, life reflection-type blog. If you read it and learned the big reveals, great! But moving forward, its pared back to a standard travel blog entry.]

It’s autumn here along the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and every tree has offered up its captivating color.

This is my third time getting to witness the autumn here in these northern lands, and in my opinion, this third time has been the most eye-popping experience that I’ve had so far. The warmer temperatures, the cloud cover, and the mix of misty and sunny days have provided a prolonged fall experience that is free of snow and capable of being explored with nothing more than a light jacket. The jaunts out into the natural world have been fantastic.

For anyone who doesn’t know, every season of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is well-known for going to its extreme. Each season feels like its postcard stereotype, but dialed up to eleven. This means winters of intense snow and northern lights; springs of bountiful flowers of every color; summers of long days, greenery, and lazy beaches; and falls of overwhelming and dramatic foliage. The place is probably most-similar to the northern island kingdom of Hokkaido in Japan – another four season paradise well known for its distinct and breathtaking seasons – so if you are living stateside and cannot afford a Japan adventure to see the renown fall foliage of that country, well…head to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. You will be equally wowed by the experience.

Fall is also a time of transition though, taking us from the life of summer to the death of winter, and I’m sad to say that a transition has happened quickly in my own life over these past few weeks. It was just at the beginning of the month when I was in Orlando that I was sharing how happy I have been of late. To quote it exactly, I said:

“Annnnd finally, finally…on the lady front…there’s something that I wish I could report! I really do! I want to share news so bad. But it’s still all so complicated right now, and it would be premature to say anything. I mean…let’s just say that I’m still firmly friend-zoned and there’s a lot of distance involved with her living way far away back in California and me up in Michigan, but there’s hope. And we communicate. And we’re fast to forgive each other, and I do my best to also wish her good night every night. And hope and communication and forgiveness and every-night good nights are good things. Especially with this woman. So pray for us please! I want this one to stick. She captivates me all of the time.”

And yet, about a week and a half ago, so shortly later, she and I had a pretty major argument. It wasn’t really an argument where either of us were in the wrong, so much as an argument where we’re coming into each other’s lives with very different views and very different energies at the moment while at the same time living 2500 miles and three time zones apart, and it’s tough to reconcile. Still, I don’t like how I behaved during our argument; I don’t like how I treated her, and for that I am currently praying deeply and engaged in a penance. And I’m not sure that she’s coming back.

An argument and falling out usually wouldn’t be that big of a deal with someone where we’re still in that amorphous “friend-zone” stage of things anyways but…well…she was the sort of person who was very important in my life. And I’ll leave it at that.

Cheers,

-Rob