Wall in the WoodsWall in the Woods

I've passed this scene countless times. Literally. I've driven by this more times than I can count, and I've never seen it. Until one day this Fall. 

It was a dreary, rainy day. I had been out trying to capture images of an angry Lake Michigan. I rounded a bend I've rounded so many times before on my way home. I was leaving behind the massive waves whipped up by 50 mph winds screaming across the waters of Green Bay from the upper peninsula of Michigan. 

The waves on the waters of Sturgeon Bay were not as big, but no less angry. That's a story for another time.  

I'm heading home along the east shore of Sturgeon Bay. I'd driven through these woods so many times. I noticed that it was one of those kind of Fall days where the leaves on the ground seemed to be glowing from a light all their own. I was watching for deer. 

Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. After a quick glance in the rear view mirror, I slammed on my breaks. I did a quick u-turn and coasted back towards what I had glimpsed. It was no whitetail. It was this crumbling wall. I couldn't believe I'd never seen this before. 

My imagination took off. What once stood here? Was it once somebody's home? Who lived here? How many children grew up here? What was their Christmas like? Or, maybe it was just a barn. What kind of animals were kept here? Horses? Cows? Or, maybe it was an old sugarhouse where gallons of maple syrup were boiled into existence from the sap of the surrounding trees. Or, maybe it was a hidden still during Prohibition! After all, Door County was a well known getaway spot for Al Capone. 

OK, so my imagination started to run wild. I may never know what these walls once sheltered. Time has passed them by just as quickly as I've passed them by on this road so many times.

It's so easy to lose sight of what really matters. We all get distracted by the demands of day to day life. Deadlines at work. Rushing kids from practice to event. And, then we're wondering where it all went. I know. I'm sounding old. Maybe it's the new year. Maybe it's the new decade. Maybe it's the fact that I haven't spent as much time on a hobby I love as I would like.

Whatever the cause, this wall has taken on a special meaning to me. Now when I drive by it, I slow down and smile a little bit. For just a moment, it reminds me to slow down and enjoy what's around me. What do you use as a reminder to slow down and enjoy the moment?