It all started early Saturday morning.

I woke up without any real plans for the day, other than helping my son with a few things later that afternoon. I was looking for something I could do with the morning. Somewhere I could go for a few hours, and I stumbled across Abilene, Texas.

I’d never really explored Abilene.

It was less than 120 miles from home.

So I thought, why not?

I left early enough that much of the drive was still in darkness.

On my early morning walks, I’m usually looking east, waiting for the sunrise. But this morning was different. I was driving west toward Abilene.

And because I was heading in the opposite direction, I got to watch something I don’t normally see, a bright orange moon setting in the western sky, slipping in and out of the clouds.

For much of the drive, the moon and clouds created some incredible imagery. It was one of those unexpected moments that makes you stop and appreciate what’s happening right in front of you.

I hadn’t planned on seeing it.

I was just headed to Abilene.

First Impressions

As I got closer to town, I noticed how quiet everything seemed.

There weren’t a lot of tall buildings. There wasn’t a tremendous amount of new development. But there was something else I noticed almost immediately.

Abilene felt like an older city that had been well cared for.

I drove past what looked like a farmers market connected to a church. People were still setting things up, but even from the car, I could sense something I hadn’t expected:

community.

It was a good first impression.

I parked and went looking for a local breakfast spot.

When I walked in, I was greeted by a gentleman who took my order. Afterward, he asked me if I was military.

I told him no.

I’ve been asked that before, so I assumed he was going to offer me a military discount.

Instead, he told me that I had a certain demeanor. He said I was well spoken, projected my voice, and carried myself in a way that made him think I had been in the military.

I told him I hadn’t.

But his comment did make me think about where some of that comes from.

Part of it is probably the discipline I’ve developed through years of athletic training. There’s something about training consistently, pushing yourself, showing up when you don’t feel like it, and learning to carry yourself with confidence.

But I also thought about my parents.

They instilled in me the importance of being polite, respectful, well-mannered and treating people the right way.

Those are things you don’t necessarily think about as you’re growing up.

You just live them.

And then, every once in a while, someone you don’t know points them out to you.

I appreciated that.

Then I Found the Storybook Capital

I sat down and started looking around.

There were quite a few college-age students in the restaurant, many of them studying.

So I started Googling.

And there it was, Abilene has several colleges and universities, including Abilene Christian University.

Another thing I hadn’t expected.

While I was eating my breakfast, a pretty incredible biscuit and egg and bacon sandwich with cheese and jalapeño jelly. I started looking for what I might explore next.

That’s when I discovered a park.

And that’s when I discovered something I really didn’t know about Abilene:

It’s the Storybook Capital of America.

I was intrigued.

So after breakfast, I drove over and started walking.

And then I started seeing the statues.

Dr. Seuss characters.

One after another.

The Lorax.

The Cat in the Hat.

Green Eggs and Ham.

And so many others.

I didn’t see all of them, but the ones I did see were impressive.

And then I came across The Lorax.

That one immediately brought back memories of my daughter.

She loved the movie, and we watched it together several times.

It was one of those moments when you’re not expecting to think about someone, and suddenly they’re right there with you.

Then I came across Green Eggs and Ham.

That one was different.

For years, Green Eggs and Ham had been part of a little tradition between my daughter and me.

Every year on her first day of school, I would make green eggs and ham for breakfast.

It was our thing.

This year was the first year we didn’t do it.

I hadn’t come to Abilene thinking about that tradition.

I wasn’t looking for that memory.

But there it was.

Waiting for me in a park in a city I’d never really taken the time to explore.

Just Keep Walking

After the sculptures, I kept walking.

And as the morning went on, Abilene seemed to come more and more to life.

There were people out.

Things happening around town.

More movement than when I first arrived.

I started seeing the city differently, not just as a place I’d driven to, but as a place where people lived, worked, went to school, gathered, created and raised families.

Eventually, I decided I’d seen enough for one morning.

I got back in the car and headed home.

And the drive back was surprisingly refreshing.

I’d spent the morning exploring a city I’d never really seen before.

I saw wide-open skies.

A beautiful skyline.

And even what looked like some elevation in the distance, hills or maybe even mountains. I’m still not exactly sure what I was seeing.

But it didn’t really matter.

I was simply enjoying the view.

And somewhere on that drive home, I had one very simple thought:

I’m really glad I came.

Abilene was so much better than I expected.

And I was honestly blown away that all of this existed less than 120 miles from me.

I didn’t have to get on a plane.

I didn’t need a weeklong itinerary.

I didn’t even need a particularly good reason.

I just needed a free Saturday morning and the willingness to go somewhere I’d never really stopped to see.

And maybe that’s one of the things I’ve been learning through The Here and Now Traveler.

Sometimes we think adventure requires distance.

But maybe it just requires attention.

Sometimes you don’t have to go very far.

You just have to be willing to go.

And when you do, you might find a new city.

You might find an unexpected view.

You might find a storybook character from your childhood.

Or you might find a memory of someone you love.

And sometimes, you might discover that something you’ve been looking for isn’t nearly as far away as you thought.

Abilene was that place for me.

And I’m really glad I went.