What would drive an otherwise self-proclaimed 'sleep-aholic' couple from their bed at the earliest hours of the morning, when arguably the sun itself was still in bed? 

Nothing but blueberries. (Well, okay, and a few other really cool things, but on this particular morning it was blueberries).
                                                                                                                            Our friend Jen as her alter ego--
                                                                                                                                   'The Blueberry Monster'.
Our dear friend Jen called us up and asked us to go blueberry picking at a secret and well-guarded blueberry patch that only a select number of people are invited to each year.  In fact, there is a waiting list-- the blueberry patch is that good.

So naturally we said 'Yippee!  We're ready anytime!'.  Little did we realize that 'anytime' meant the wee hours of the morning singularly reserved for fishermen and other crazy individuals.

We groaned as we tossed on the nearest clothes available and headed out the door.  As we pulled out of the driveway our eyes met, and we had a moment of synchronized telepathic communication that clearly said: 'Tell me, just why are we doing this?'

Bleary-eyed and still groaning, we arrived at Jen's and hopped in her car.  She transported us across a half-hour of country roads that wound round and over hills and valleys until we arrived at the home of the 'Keepers of the Blueberries'.

           Bowls of blueberries make us smile.
But the journey was not yet done. 

Here we piled into yet another vehicle to drive down yet more mind-addling country lanes.  The culmination was the ascent up a very scary, steep-- no, make that a very scary pee-your-pants-and-roller-coaster-scream type of steep-- hill, filled with ruts, rocks, and roots.  It was definitely an exhilarating way to wake up!

There at the top were the blueberry bushes.  Oodles and oodles of them scintillating with ripe berries and drenched in dew.  We began picking with gusto and were ourselves soon drenched in dew.  This minor discomfort was compensated for by the fact that we were told we could eat as many blueberries as we liked, and at no extra charge (though they did threaten to weigh us before and after). 

We were in heaven! (Albeit a rather early-morning-sun's-just-coming-up kind of heaven.)

The final rewards were sweet, however.  Back at the home of the 'Keepers of the Blueberries' we weighed our load and came away with six pounds of blueberry bliss. 

When all was said and done, we were extremely pleased that we hadn't simply rolled back over in bed and hit 'snooze'.  The experience taught us something about changing up our routine.  You see, we all have a tendency sometimes to take the same route to work, to order the same dish when we go out, and to look at the people in our lives from the same old viewpoint.  For Kenton and I, getting up at a different hour to get out and do something we don't normally do was a refreshing reminder that adventures are waiting for us all over the place.  The next time you have a chance to do something a little bit out of the ordinary, or to shake up your routine, be sure to call on your inner adventurer and give it a try.  The results might just be . . . blissful!

Back to the Journal