A time for self reflection

Published 10:41 am Thursday, January 15, 2026

A bit of self-reflection to start off a new year feels appropriate.  After an action-packed few days at work last week, I headed out for Walt Disney World on a family trip to celebrate my niece Lucy Van Veckhoven, who will graduate from high school this year.

Throughout the trip, I couldn’t help wondering how I got here, here being the point in my life where I’m old enough to witness the last child of the Dye and Van Veckhoven clans graduating.

I can’t think of a better way to start the new year than alongside my family. The Van Veckhoven and Dye clans had a fantastic time celebrating Lucy Van Veckhoven’s upcoming high school graduation during a recent trip to Walt Disney World. Pictured (L-R): Lucy Van Veckhoven, Dana Van Veckhoven, Gena Dye, Billy Van Veckhoven, and Michael Van Veckhoven; (Back row L-R): Outdoors writer Brad Dye, Dan Dye, and Tatum Dye Lindow.

I’ve said it more than once, but I feel that it bears repeating—time is our greatest gift, and it is, to use the words of Anglican cleric and poet Robert Herrick, truly “a-flying.”

As much as I would love to go down that road and urge all of you (and myself) to “gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” I’ve chosen to go down a more personal road with this writing.  Oh well, I can’t resist, so “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying.  And this same flower that smiles today. Tomorrow will be dying.”

With Herrick’s great advice dispensed, I’ll add one more wisdom nugget—read poetry every day.  Writer Ray Bradbury firmly believed that reading poetry helped to unlock his creativity, to summon his muse, if you will. He did it each day before beginning his writing.  As a Bradbury fan, I can say that it must have worked.

Now, let’s travel down the road that I had originally intended–“Self-reflection Lane.”  I’ve come to grips with a few things on this Disney trip.  First, I’ve learned (or at least reinforced) some things that I’ve believed about myself for some time, and I feel a bit of full disclosure is in order, if not for my family of readers, then at least for my family (and for myself).

As I write this, I’m sitting in a secluded outdoor dining area just beside the Rose & Crown Pub in the England section of EPCOT.  I’ve always preferred dining alfresco.  I’ve written about that before, and, as it so happens, I’ve just now finished doing exactly that, having polished off an order of fish and chips paired with a Harp Lager.

The spot is a favorite for my wife and her sister Dana, and I see why.  It’s a great spot for people watching, but that’s not why I came.  I came for the food and drink—one of my favorite combinations in the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT)—but, more importantly, I came to get away.

This hidden gem is removed, removed from the din of the masses (if only slightly).  It’s also one step closer to the outdoors.  As I sit here, there’s a squirrel mere inches from sitting on my shoulder.  Is he British?  He certainly seems to love fish and chips.

No, I didn’t feed him anything that he shouldn’t be eating, but he is making a meal of the large chunk of cookie that someone dropped.  He seems to have claimed this area as his own.  He has also reminded me of something.  I’m drawn to the natural world.

Yes, my inner child loves the sci-fi worlds of Tron and Star Wars, both of which I experienced for the first time on this trip.  I also still smile when I see Pluto or Goofy (clearly, I love dogs) and, as my family will attest, I light up when I happen upon Pocahontas, my favorite Disney Princess.

However, the song that sounds within me resonates most purely and most clearly when I’m in the outdoors.  This trip has proven that for me.  It has reminded me that everything doesn’t have to be your “thing,” and that’s ok.  With that said, it has also shown me just how important it is to be there for those that you love when they’re experiencing their “thing.”

What do I mean by that?  Well, although Disney isn’t at the top of my favorite places list, it is absolutely at the top of my family’s, and, for me, family comes first.  Outdoors or anywhere else, I want to be there alongside my family.  Being with them put the magic in the Magic Kingdom for me this trip.

Honestly, I’ve been crowd averse since coming out of the COVID pandemic, and this week showed me that I’m even more crowd noise averse.  Fortunately, with only a few exceptions, the crowds were light on this Disney trip, as was the noise, and there was plenty of time to escape into a quiet, removed outdoor space for a little “Vitamin O” therapy.

Was it the same for me as the quiet solitude of a drift boat on the South Fork of the Snake River or as relaxing as wading Hazel Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains?  The answer is no, but for every other member of my family clan, the answer is a resounding, “YES!”

Seeing their smiles (especially Lucy’s) this week filled me with joy.  Those smiles made it a wonderful week and a beautiful start to the new year.

I can’t think of a better way to start 2026 than alongside my family, and even if I had to slip away and have a little outdoor alone time with my new friend “Nathan” the British squirrel, I found that there’s still plenty of magic at Walt’s place.

Until next time, here’s to finding your thing, to time spent with family and friends (even the furry ones), and here’s to seeing you out there in our great outdoors.