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Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Two years later

This past weekend I returned to the almost-beginning, to a small cabin near Fergus Falls, Minnesota. More than two years ago I wrote one of my first blog entries after visiting this little cabin. It was warm then, the fireflies flitted about, and I felt like a stranger among the other cabin mates.

This time I went up with a dozen softball teammates — several of my closest friends among them. Snow lined the ditches along the highway. Tents were impractical so we all piled into the cabin, finding sleeping room where we could… Three on the porch, two on the foldout couch, one on the living room floor, and five piled into two tiny bedrooms. It was cozy to say the least.

Two years ago in this situation I felt the need to escape the chaos and uncertainty caused by too many people I didn’t know, so my friend Adam and I cloaked ourselves underneath the stars along the quiet lake.

This year, we escaped to Fargo, an hour’s drive northwest. We went there on a whim, really, initially heading to a town five miles from the cabin but then: “Do you want to go to Fargo?” Adam asked. Sure. “Okay, let’s go.” He pointed straight ahead and the car followed until we drove past our planned exit and onto North Dakota.

I did want to see Fargo.

And now that I’ve been there, I can tell you there isn’t much to see. After driving around all of downtown looking for a decent restaurant, we ended up by the mall waiting for half an hour to get a seat at Fargo’s finest dining establishment: The Olive Garden.

It was worth the drive, though. The flat farm lands provided a perfect landing place for a God’s-Country sunset. The time to talk with Adam, away from the chaos at the cabin, was restorative.

And, of course, I got to see Fargo.

Posted by Aaron on October 18, 2006 11:10 PM