My collection of Pennsylvania state parks is up to about 34, most of which are in the western half of the state. I've been driving past Canoe Creek State Park for years as I've hurried along to the Standing Stone Trail. But on my way home this time I stopped. At first I didn't have much hope for the park, surrounded as it is by the contour-plowed hills of central PA. It didn't look wild enough for my tastes. But what it lacks in wilderness it makes up for in simple beauty. By the time I left, I really liked it. Too bad there's no campground.
I'm glad I gave Canoe Creek an hour or two of my life. It's definitely worth a lot more than that. But we'll all be judged by the scant moments of our lives that strangers just happen to step in on. Think of that. Some people will always and only remember you for the single moment of your life that they observed. To them, you'll forever be a flat character, unchangeable, irredeemable. You're that guy with the tattoos who threw a fit, or that picky "karen" who asked to speak to the manager. They'll overlook your greater story--forgetting even that you have one--and decide they know as much about you as they need to know. Patience. Tolerance. Kindness. Look at these redbuds in bloom.
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