Couldn’t help
but smile
By Jan Penton Miller
Columnist
When on a trip I like to stop along the way on a whim, and my long time bestie,
Anne, does too. Our conversation may go something like this…
“Look, we just passed a Starbucks! What is that coffee that Liana gets? It is so good.”
“It’s on my phone. Let me look, I always forget it. Coffee sounds good, and there is a
shoe store nearby. I’ll turn around!”
Sometime later we get back on the road, and eventually make it to where we are
going. With us the journey is equally as important and enjoyable as our destination.
Those little stops make the day so much better than a long drive with no breaks.
This past week we took a little trip to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It was short, but we
packed in a lot of fun.
Anne is all about the beach because she has beautiful dark skin that tans easily. I, on
the other hand, burn and only love the beach early in the morning or late in the
evening. I quit trying to tan years ago when I realized my only hope was for my
freckles to somehow merge together! This trip we loved the sun and sand from a
distance and instead enjoyed all the cool shops and restaurants.
One place that we really liked was the Old Florida Fish House. We stumbled upon it
really, as we were headed for Seaside to poke around. I never learned not to talk to
strangers so I saw someone who looked local and asked about good eateries. Turns
out the local looking guy was not local, but he still gave us some good information
about the area and Old Florida was one of his suggestions.
The food was excellent, and we enjoyed visiting with our server. I didn’t catch her
accent until we were almost ready to leave and heard one word that told me she was
probably from Minnesota. I asked her where she was from, and the conversation
kept going from there.
The crab cake salad was one of the best I’ve eaten, and just the thought of their key
lime pie is making my mouth water! We met people from all over. I remember two
from Jamaica, one from Montana, and two from Minnesota. I love talking to different
people and hearing a little of their stories. Most folks will tell some interesting tidbit
of their life if they have a listening ear.
The day of our departure the early morning called me to slip on my clothes and take
in the beauty of the awakening world. I borrowed Anne’s flip-flops because I forgot
to pack mine and headed for first, the coffee shop, and then, the beach. The breeze

was blowing gently as I strolled along steaming brew in hand. A few others had
awakened early, and I smiled when I passed several young men with their Bibles
open enjoying a lively discussion.
I couldn’t help but smile.