I am not a patient person. It is one of my flaws in a long list of flaws that I try to hide from the world. So I was not in the happiest of places when we took the kids to see the lights at Oglebay in West Virginia last week, and found ourselves in a very long line waiting to get in.
It started as a simple plan. We asked dear friends to join us on our Christmas adventure, and we drove two cars south toward Oglebay. We had decided to surprise the kids so we did not tell them where we were going. They had spent a week trying to guess and had such high expectations, like Disneyworld, an indoor waterpark, and a hotel with a swimming pool. I began to fear that in trying to surprise them we were setting them up for a huge disappointment.
We drove our mini-caravan south to West Virginia, and stopped at Cracker Barrel for a nice supper with our friends. We enjoyed the meal, relaxed and talked for an hour, soaking in the atmosphere and fireplace there.
Around six, we packed in our cars and headed south for the 15-minute drive to Oglebay.
When we exited the highway, we were met with traffic that looked like a parking lot on the road. Literally bumper to bumper cars and brake lights as far as the eye could see. We still thought we were close, and could see a stoplight ahead where everyone was turning left, so we were hopeful that we might only have a half hour wait.
Time stood still as we inched forward, little by little. When we were next to a Long John Silvers, I popped out to grab some drinks for everyone. In that time alone, the car only moved about five feet forward. We texted between our cars, and played every travel game known to man, from Thinking of a Person to I Spy, and we even sang Christmas carols.
We turned left at the light after an hour of waiting, only to discover that the parking lot of cars extended for miles and miles up the road and continued up the side of a mountain. I let out a sigh that could be heard in Texas as my impatience overwhelmed me. Mike glanced over and said, Relax, itll be fine.
Oooo, I hate it when he is right, which happens more times than not.
All in all, we waited three hours in our car, inching along the roadway until we entered Oglebay Resort and saw the light displays. When we did, the kids said, This is it? This is what we waited for all this time?
I did not want to scold them since I was thinking the same thing.
But as we drove into the park and the lights and displays glowed in the night sky, we began to relax and just enjoy the experience. We walked through several gift shops in the park, and laughed and giggled, and made memories we will cherish for years to come.
On the drive home, the kids all fell asleep and Mike and I had undivided time to talk and sip coffee, and share our hearts.
Sometimes what starts out as a simple plan can become a lesson in patience. If we let go of our expectations, we can discover that the journey is worth the wait even more than the destination.
