It’s been fifteen years since I took my 1st trip to Minnesota. It was a business trip, a short visit to Saint Paul. For this 2nd trip to Minnesota, I visited Minneapolis instead. Actually a small town named Bemidji in Minnesota was my destination. My very best T/Ms friend Danny from Bemidji drove all the way to Minneapolis to meet me at the airport. He said I could enjoy some sightseeing on the way to Bemidji from the airport and see more Minneapolis. I was so lucky being in a good hand and had a ‘Couldn’t Be Better’ five days there. One of the most important activities of mine during the five days trip there was to attend the Bemidji T/Ms meeting on Tuesday. It may be hard for others to believe that after joining T/Ms for almost fifteen years, this was the first time I visited a T/Ms club abroad. I thought about it and talked about it several times, yet hadn’t been sincere in executing it. I am too passive or lazy often times. Danny was the reason that I finally walked the talk. He talked so much about the town, how friendly the people are, how incredibly beautiful the lake and the woods is, how enchanting life is there in winter. He successfully captured my attention and aroused my curiosity half by his serious introduction with photos and half by his humorous tone with some hilariously exaggerated jokes. He asked me to deliver a speech after I finally decided to visit Bemidji.
Danny and I have been writing each other for sometime. I was deeply impressed by his love and passion toward everything; nature, animals, outer space, writing and people. Actually it was his writings that amazed me most at the beginning. The intriguing stories he wrote have an indescribable appeal to me like a magic that I always hungered for more. And he never hesitated in sharing those wonderful stories with me. When I finally met him at the airport, I was attracted immediately by his big handsome smile. He looked very amicable and approachable. I had to be careful not to fall for his charm.
The first scenic site was Munsinger & Clemens Gardens. After a little bit more than one hour’s drive, we were suddenly surrounded by several breathtaking gardens. It was like entering a wonderland. Munsinger Gardens are situated below Clemens Gardens along the Mississippi River, and six gardens make up Clemens Gardens. The abundance of Color of flowers, incredible variety of flowers, lovely wedding pavilion, wooden gazebo, and the beautiful river opened my eyes. Am I in heaven or on cloud nine?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsinger_Gardens_and_Clemens_Gardens
When Danny told me that Mississippi River originates near Bemidji, I was further amazed. How did it make it all the way to the sea down in Louisiana? The power of nature!
We couldn’t stay long in the gardens as we had to arrive Bemidji before sunset. After finishing walking through the gardens, we got in the car and headed for Bemidji. The rest few hours’ drive couldn’t have be more pleasant and chipper. Danny was an excellent driver and best companion. We chatted and laughed. Before I realized, we were in Bemidji. Hunger crept in. It was time for dinner. What a lovely first day. All my nervousness and anxiety before I flew to Minneapolis was long gone probably right after I arrived at the Airport. Next was the T/Ms meeting tomorrow noon. I was assured that it would be alright, too. Danny is a wonderful host and he’s the President of Bemidji T/Ms club. What I needed was a good night sleep, hopefully, and a few rehearsals of my speech tomorrow morning.
Danny told me his club members were anxious to meet me. They even passed the news to the local TV station – Lakeland Public Television who sent a news person (journalist) to video the meeting. Wow! What an honor! I was nervous, still I said to myself. “I can do it.” It’s time to prove to myself that all these years T/Ms training should be effective.
Time for bed, yet I was a little bit restless. It was not because of the T/Ms meeting, but because of the excitement that I was finally here. Everything seemed so impressive and so much better than I expected. Tomorrow is another chapter.
Trini
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