Bank of Holly Springs

Fielder's Choice

Good time to enjoy a ride

A favorite pastime of long ago seems to have resurfaced during this COVID-19 pandemic.

It's called "riding around."

Pam and I have been doing it some on Saturdays.

I've talked to other friends who've been doing the same ­ just riding in the car and enjoying the countryside.

Most are looking for something to do during this stay-at-home order and still abide by the guidelines. Getting a leisurely look at God's creation, without getting out of the vehicle, is one way to do just that.

I remember when I was a child. Folks used to particularly enjoy the Sunday afternoon rides.

I was watching an episode of Andy Griffith recently. Barney had gotten his first car, and he loaded up Andy, Aunt Bee, Opie and Gomer for an afternoon ride through the country. They were all dressed in their Sunday best.

Of course, this one didn't turn out so well. Barney had been conned into buying a junker. The car died on them.

Sunday of last week, Pam and I took a welcomed road trip to a neighboring state.

Two of Pam's sisters have recently moved to a different house in Clarksville, Tenn. And we had some furniture they needed.

It was our second trip to Clarksville, the first several years ago for a Christmas gettogether.

Again this time around, we took the leisurely route. We did not get on I-40, at all.

That route goes through Tennessee communities like Grand Junction, Hickory Valley, Bolivar, Medon, Jackson, Cedar Grove, Henry, Paris and Dover.

It's a beautiful drive ­ a little two-lane and some four-lane. But there's no big rush, just take your time and enjoy.

Reaching the Paris Landing State Park area and crossing over the Kentucky Lake, that has to be the best part of the trip.

It was about eight hours on the road, all in one day, and we're already talking about doing it again in a month or so. We couldn't quite get all the furniture in one load.

This Coronavirus pandemic is something we want to see go away. We want to experience normalcy again ­ or even the new norm.

I guess one of the best things about the past five weeks or so has been the "slowdown."

Life, typically, is too fast for most folks, including myself. It's always run, run, run and then run some more.

I've spent a lot of valuable time with my 18-year-old, Erin, who has wrapped up her senior year of high school with distance learning from home.

We've taken rides. We've walked. We've gone outside at night and looked at the stars. We've eaten a lot of meals together. We've talked to each other much more than we would have if school and the many activities surrounding it had been going on.

And that's not to say I'm glad she missed the last two months of her senior year. I hate that for her. Those are supposed to be some of the best and most memorable days of her life.

But I've always been one to look at the positives, and I believe her mom and I have raised her that way, too.

"Stop and smell the roses."

Slow down and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

Holly Springs South Reporter

P.O. Box 278
Holly Springs, MS 38635
PH: (662) 252-4261
FAX: (662) 252-3388
www.southreporter.com