Perfect Timing
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Well That Was Funny
By Crystal Hodge

It’s as if the Universe has a sense of humor.
~Deepak Chopra

In the summer of 1967, my sisters Karen and Nancy and I went with my grandparents, Nanny and Poppa, to the Lake of the Ozarks. With no real plan except that they wanted to fish, Poppa waited until we got to the Ozarks to look for a place to stay. Pulling into a little, one-pump gas station with a sign that read “Vacation Rentals,” Poppa went inside and, sight unseen, paid for a cabin described as “two bedrooms on the lake.” Following a map, we drove through a heavily wooded area and got lost twice, but we finally found it. Located only a few yards from the lake’s shore, it was small but had a fishing dock and a swimming area. It was perfect.

I have wonderful memories of the time we spent there, fishing with Nanny and Poppa under pink-rimmed skies at dawn and hearing the occasional splash of a fish as it jumped from the water and fell back in. I remember how grownup I felt about making my own decisions. Cold cereal, or bacon, eggs and pancakes for breakfast? Wear my swimsuit all day or change into shorts and a T-shirt? I remember the excitement I felt at the idea of swimming in a lake and my scream of surprise at its arctic chill. The evenings were wonderful, too. Having packed his grill, Poppa cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner, which we ate while sitting together at the picnic table in the cabin’s front yard. (Keep reading)