Jackson to Newton, MS

July 24.

The highlight of this day was a trip for frozen yogurt!  But first, news of our bike ride:  We started out the day in Jackson and shortly after leaving we rode a causeway over the Barnett Reservoir.  The sky was overcast and the weather  was not too hot for a little while.  I have had days on this southern part of the journey where the sweat ran down my legs and my socks were as wet as when it is raining!

It got sunny later in the day, so the day got plenty hot.

We arrived in Newton, MS in the afternoon and saw on the info board that there was a trip for froyo at 3:30 pm!  If you have small children, or have been around them recently, think about how excited they get to learn of a special treat they are about to get.  That is exactly how excited we got about our trip to the frozen yogurt shop.

As we were getting ready to go, our host offered a ride in the church bus.  The Baptist Church in Newton, MS has a very nice church bus–one that requires a chauffeur’s license to drive.  We are dependent on a van that has had sweaty, dirty people in it all summer long.  Sometimes when we get up from the seats, they are soaked.  Twice a week, the van transports our dirty laundry to the laundromat.  I don’t have a good sense of smell, but even I can notice the smell of our van from time to time.  The step up into the van is very high and it’s difficult to get to the back seats.  The back door no longer opens from the outside–we have to reach inside the front door to release the latch from the inside.  So it was a great treat to ride in the tour bus belonging to the Baptist Church!

We were as delighted as kindergartners to get a chance to ride in a bus with stairs and a railing to get in the door, and plenty of room and comfortable seats for everyone who wanted to go.  I have never seen a group of fifteen to eighteen adults be so delighted by the prospect of riding in a bus.

Of course, I wondered about this.  What made us so delighted at something that would normally be simply routine?

We work hard nearly every day.  We say things now like, “We’re only going 72 miles.”  Even though we get tired every day, 72 miles sounds perfectly doable—especially if it’s flat.  At our rest stops we rejoice at how delicious ice water is, and how wonderful fresh watermelon tastes.  But we’re largely limited to the snacks provided for us—things that are non-perishable or that will fit in small coolers.  In the evening we eat what the dinner team or a local church prepares.  On laundry days we put our dirty clothes in piles and two or three people head off to the laundromat with all our clothes.  When they return, we rifle through the clean clothes to find our own.  We’re getting by with very small wardrobes.  Each day we head out on the route planned for us to the city and destination already selected for us.  Much like little children, we don’t have a lot of control over our day to day lives.  So, much like little children, we can be delighted by very simple surprises that come our way.

It was wonderful to share in such joy over such simple things as a bus ride and frozen yogurt.  It’s a reminder of the delight that we once had as children, and we learned that we can still experience joy over very simple things.