My mom and I often take the country roads to her house after a trip to town. Perhaps it’s partially reminiscent. There is one field road I nearly always consider taking although I haven’t for years. It cuts a half mile off the trip. It’s not as well-kept as it once was. Even when it was well-traveled, we couldn’t drive on it sometimes. It was often muddy. Then, when it would dry, there were deep ruts. Since the crops were close on either side, there wasn’t much room to avoid them. When there hadn’t been much rain, driving down the field road created a cloud of dust that quickly dirtied the vehicle. That wasn’t a big deal when in a farm truck, but I usually didn’t want to get my car unnecessarily dirty.

As I approached it, there didn’t seem to be ruts. Crops were out. And while it was dry, I was willing to risk a dirty car for a moment of reliving the past for a moment. Sometimes it’s the little things.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been on that field road in my lifetime. I’ve been stuck in the mud and surrounded by dust on that road. I’ve ridden bikes with my friends and run farm errands with my dad. As long as it had been since I’d been on it, the road was familiar and felt comfortable that day.

Enjoy a comfortable memory today, whether you get to travel an old road or simply think about it.