My Forest Explorer group seems a little cursed. It can be an amazing week of weather, then come Friday, the day our group is supposed to meet, the words blustery pop up in the forecast. Advisories for high winds bleat at us. Icy conditions make travel treacherous. Mostly on Fridays, barely any other day of the week.
It was an epic winter in the northeast, and a really cold spring. So when Sabrina first mentioned April's Outdoor Family Adventure Challenge would be puddle stomping, I worried we'd have to break through the ice to get to do it! And when it finally warmed, it seemed to stop raining! I needed the weather to be a little more uncooperative!
I was facing down the last week of April, wanting to complete this challenge and suddenly my two children were sick. My daughter specifically had an ugly cough that I was worried about passing around to people she'd meet. We stayed homebound while my children recovered for four days Even though my daughter had this cough, both my children still had a high energy level. Being at home for four days was putting all of us on edge. As Friday and our Forest Explorer Group day approached, I was feeling confident about the children and I going out in public again.
But, wouldn't you know it, the Friday Forest Explorer curse struck - It was expected to rain. As we discussed it in our state Facebook group, I know that I wasn't going to let the rain stop us. We NEEDED to get out of the house despite the weather. As I was packing up our gear and changes of clothes, I heard the rain intensify outside, and realized this was the perfect weather and the perfect opportunity to get out and play in the rain.
At first, it seemed no one else in our Forest Explorer Group saw the opportunity and we would be the only ones meeting that week. We seized at it! Exploring some parts we'd never explored before. Eventually though, other friends joined us and went back to some usual spots.
It rained on us. Not hard, a sprinkle through most of it, and because we were prepared for some heavier rain, when it didn't rain hard on us, the children took the opportunity to get wetter by playing in the creek. We didn't let "bad weather" stop us. We embraced it, stomping in joy as rain water cleansed our soul.
We loved the chance to see our "cursed" weather as an opportunity and loved having the chance to get out and play in the rain. We're so glad we had friends join us and look forward to the next time we get a chance to do some puddle stomping!
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