Last week, my family and I went to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where we stayed in a cabin on the lake at a little retreat center called Camp Kanuga. The scenery was absolutely stunning. We were awed by green rolling hills, old farmhouses, cool, crisp air, and shimmering maple trees. I felt like I was on the set of a Hallmark movie… or inside a postcard.
This was our third year in a row going to this camp. It’s over 10+ hours from Palm Beach Gardens, takes a full week away from the clinic, and requires a good amount of effort & energy, but every year, we come back grateful we made the trip. It’s not just the views that bring us back. It’s the time we get to spend with the family of God. We spent four days under some transformational teaching from our pastor, and the conversations that followed, around meals, in mountain streams, by the campfire, and at the lodge, weren’t just memory-making… they left a lasting impact on how we live.
What always amazes me is how the small, unexpected moments tend to leave the deepest impression. On the way up, we caravanned with a family we traveled with for the first time & stopped at Buc-ee’s in Daytona Beach. They’d never been through the Buc-ee’s car wash before, so we were excited to see their reaction. Midway through the wash, to everyone’s surprise, the dad rolled down his window just to enhance the experience. And it worked. I’m pretty sure that memory will be talked about in their family for years.
On the way home, we made another stop at Buc-ee’s. As we pulled into the car wash, I joked with my kids that I was going to do the same. They immediately started chanting, “Do it, Dad! Do it!” I thought about it for a second... but in the end, I decided to stay dry. I figured we’d made plenty of memories by that point, and my wife was grateful I showed restraint.
If you haven’t been through the Buc-ee’s car wash in Daytona Beach, you’ve got to add it to the bucket list. It’s like the Disneyland (sorry, Floridians, I’m from SoCal & still adjusting to calling it Disney World) of car washes. The colorful soap, giant spinning brushes, pulsing lights, and even the tunnel soundtrack turn a routine car wash into a full-blown Pirates of the Caribbean ride…minus the water cannons.
And here’s what really impressed me: right before you enter, there’s a bug degreaser station, a simple sprayer you use to coat the front of your car and I’m telling you, it melted those bugs off faster than ice cream on a Florida sidewalk. It was nothing fancy, but wow, it worked. Between that and the automatic wash, our minivan came out looking brand new.
It got me thinking: life is a lot like that. Especially when it comes to health. We’re often tempted to wait for the big fix or the perfect moment to overhaul everything, but real, lasting change usually starts small. A quick spray here. A bit of regular maintenance there. It’s the little, consistent things that make the biggest difference over time.
Maybe it’s taking a 5-minute walk after lunch… turning your phone off 30 minutes before bed… doing a few deep breaths or shooting up a popcorn prayer when stress starts to build… swapping a sugary drink for a glass of water… or sending a quick text to encourage a friend. None of these seem like a big deal in the moment, but over time, they add up.
So here’s your friendly reminder: don’t underestimate the power of small steps. Just like clean windows can change how you see the road ahead, a few mindful choices can bring clarity, energy, and momentum to your health. You don’t have to overhaul your entire life overnight, just start with something simple and consistent. Little by little, those small steps build toward big change and often, it’s those quiet, steady habits that lead to the breakthroughs & victories we’ve been hoping for all along.
Dr. Derek Taylor, DC
