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March 23 - Moon

Marchphotoaday

Some days you wonder why things happen. Why mistakes you could have avoided end up ruining your plans. And you kick yourself when you consider all the ways you should have dodged trouble. You shake your head and bite your tongue because you so want to say, 'I told you...' or 'why didn't you check...?'

Then you drag yourself away from the pity party and hunt for something really good in your mess. That glimmer of goodness you can savour instead of the bitter pill lodged in your throat.

Such an evening greeted us recently when my Beloved and I took a leisurely drive to Phillip Island for our anniversary over the long weekend. Light packing, anticipation of meals to be eaten in foreshore restaurants and long sleep-ins, drew us there like the moon drags the tides.

We took our time arriving for our seafood dinner by the beach and walked hand in hand back to the car.

Very romantic, weren't we? Until we fished out an old set of keys to the beach house and discovered they no longer worked, as locks had been changed and keys had not been replaced. The good keys were at home. Not in our clenched hands, which tried and tried in vain to make the impossible happen, while the car engine hummed and the headlights illuminated an uninviting house.

Um... romance disaster. No hope of watching the sun set from the balcony for us.

Back in the car we looked at each other. What now? Sleep here? Hardly. Look for a vacancy sign. Not appealing. Drive home, get keys and come back? Only choice really.

So we turned around and began the 2 hour trip home, flat and sorry. Not much conversation came to mind. Neither of us was at fault but we both had to pay for it. After a while we decided there was no point worrying over something we could not change. We were together, and that's what the weekend promised anyway.

With the moon over the road ahead, we chatted and tried not to envy the cars arriving on the island as we departed. We talked about our future and soon enough the mood changed for the better. The road ahead shone with moon spilling over clouds

I knew back then I needed a moon photo for today. Was it cheating to squirrel this one away so many days in advance? I don't think so. It's a great reminder of a night where trouble nudged us off course for a while, but rewarded us with something unexpected.

With our backs to the sunset, we followed the silver lining as it lit our way home.