Unreasonable?

Sometimes, a dream, a vision, an... idea flits through the mind and because it seems too outlandish, too far-fetched, too... unreasonable, logic overrides the notion. 

"Nah," we tell ourselves, shaking our head, and getting back to the task at hand. 

Several months ago, LeRoy and I dreamt of and planned for a trip to Miami and the Florida Keys. As I researched things to see and do along the scenic highway between Key Largo and Key West, I thought, "In an ideal, romantic scenario, we'd drive that stretch in a red convertible sports car." 

I scrolled down the rental page to convertible / luxury cars, contemplated as I perused the collection and costs of each one, then shifted into "be reasonable," moving the cursor over the category labeled Economy. 

After a few days of talking and researching, we shelved the whole idea, promising ourselves we'd revisit it later. 

Fast forward to January 24, 2024 when we received two invitations. The first one was to our niece's photography show and the second one was to our nephew's debut DJ performance. Excited to celebrate their achievements, we blocked off the dates on the calendar and made plans. 

February 9th, we drove the three hours southwest to Yakima, Washington to attend my niece, Mariah Whitworth's, show "In The Moment" featuring her deep dive photo journalism project into Yakima's skate culture. An added bonus was having my parents and our son, Ezekiel, with us for the adventure. Mariah's event was a success, having sold several of her photo pieces and books. We stayed the night with my brother, Tim, and his family, and drove home the following afternoon. 

February 15th, LeRoy and I flew into Miami, Florida a day early with the intention to drive to Ft. Lauderdale the following day to surprise and congratulate my nephew, Kolby Olsen. After brainstorming myriad options, I finally called and left a voicemail, "Hey Kolby! We're here in Miami with the intention to see you and celebrate you." A series of text messages followed, resulting in plans to meet on Sunday. It wasn't going to be the day of his event, but we'd still get to celebrate him in person. 

With those plans resolved, we turned our attention to the idea of visiting Key West. Back to the vehicle rental website, the reservation of a standard SUV at a lower price than the standard car, and pick up at nine o'clock in the morning. 

At the rental agency, Justin typed our information into the computer, stopping to study the screen. "Would you like to upgrade to a convertible at no additional cost?" 

LeRoy didn't hesitate, "Yes, please!" giving me a fist bump. 

Justin handed us the key and walked us out to the garage where we were shown to a red convertible Ford Mustang. Exactly like the one I envisioned months before. The one I dismissed as unreasonable. 

The stretch of scenic highway between Key Largo and Key West is one of the most beautiful, culture rich, unique stretches of highway we've traveled. And we got to experience it with the top down, wind in our my hair (😊), and a playlist to match our real life movie scene. 

The reminder? Keep a soft heart. Dream. Envision possibility. Utilize available resources and be open to upgrades. 

(We were already thanking God for the opportunities to fly here, stay in a hotel one block from the beach in Miami, make plans to spend time with my nephew (which, although we got to spend a lovely Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, we didn't meet up with Kolby this time. Next visit!), drive to Key West, soak up the Florida sunshine, talk with strangers, and be together "away from it all" for a few days. The red convertible sports car was God's "and now to add another round of confetti to your list of blessings.") 

Be Blessed.

Sharon