Our planning during our stay in Eureka and our travel north was pretty bad. We had trouble getting reservations at the spot we wanted in Trinidad, and ended up spending two nights at Johnny’s Marina in Eureka. It was a good spot for errands, and the folks were nice.
I wasn’t very bothered by it until we drove up to Clam Beach on Saturday Afternoon for a bike ride and some beach time. As we pulled in, we discovered that there were plenty of RV spots in the small campground right at the beach. We hadn’t tried to stay at the beach for fear of getting a spot, and just drove up for an afternoon and evening.
Realizing suddenly that we could have done things very differently. I got a little grumpy. We could have been staying right there at the beach! No half-hour drives back afterward, and much more of our time could have been spent at the beach. It ended up being warmer than we had expected, and we could have easily changed our clothes, if we had brought the Airstream!
I had a genuine Pink Kink in my Think.
During our bike ride, I got over it. (Jess had been expecting I would, and was glad when I quit complaining.) I came around to realize that our situation was far from dismal. Rather than spending time bemoaning a slightly less than perfect situation, I should just relax and enjoy the bike ride. And the blackberries that grew alongside the bike trail. And frisbee on the beach. And I did. I got over it, and we had a great evening.
The pursuit of perfect was ruining a perfectly good day. We try and avoid locking our schedule down too tight, which allows us to change it for the better when opportunity allows and something strikes our fancy. On the flip side, some days are not ideal. I need to accept the bad with the good, knowing that we are living an amazing adventure.
On the way out of the beach, I caught a glimpse of the campground. It had filled a bit, with some colorful characters that I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with my kids around. I really didn’t mind our drive home, and I’ve resolved to handle my next ‘Good’ situation with more grace and less complaining.
