Leave a Comment / Self Care, Texas State Parks / By Susan Svec
Some Days Don’t Go the Way You Planned — and That’s the Whole Point
I want to tell you about a park where nothing went quite the way I expected. And how it became one of my favorite visits so far.
I came to Martin Creek Lake State Park the day after my birthday. I was hoping, as I usually am when I head to a park, for a few quiet moments — a place to sit, breathe, and make my sketch. Martin Creek is a beautiful park. The trees are full and generous with their shade. The lake is calm and green.
What it was not, at least on the day we arrived, was quiet.
There was a mower. Steadily doing its job. Very thoroughly.
Sometimes you have to move around a little. Adjust. Stay longer. Look again.
The Lily Pads Were Already Waiting
Close to the picnic area where Jerry and I sat eating our sack lunch, I noticed a large patch of lily pads along the lakeshore. I have now visited thirteen Texas State Parks, and these were the first lily pads I had seen on this entire journey. They caught my attention immediately.
I wanted to sketch them. But the mower was getting closer.
Martin Creek Lake State Park has something I had not encountered at any previous park: a small walking bridge that leads over to a little island with a day-use area, camping, and even a hiking trail. So I crossed over to the island, walked beneath the shade trees, and had almost settled on a clump of leaves to sketch when I heard it again.
The mower. Right on the other side of the water.
So I went back to my lily pads. And there they were — still waiting. Still lovely.
I sat down and did my sketch.
If it hadn’t been for the mower, I probably wouldn’t have ventured over to the little island — which turned out to be one of the most unique features of that park.
The Sketch: First Lily Pads of the Journey
I am certainly no Monet. But there is something about a subject you did not plan for that brings out a particular kind of attention.
I had not come to Martin Creek Lake State Park intending to sketch lily pads. I had not known they would be there. And yet the moment I saw them, something in me said: that is the one. The sketch from this park.
The pads themselves were generous — large, overlapping, unhurried. They did not mind the noise nearby. They were just doing what lily pads do: floating, opening toward the light, entirely unbothered.
I think I needed that particular lesson on that particular day.
A Birthday Soap and a Long-Overdue Treat
I brought my Orange Blossom & Sandalwood Soap to Martin Creek. Neroli — the essential oil at the heart of this soap — is one of my very favorite scents. I made this formulation years ago and eventually stopped producing it, because neroli is not an inexpensive oil to work with.
This year, I brought neroli back in for a new project. And somewhere along the way I decided that my birthday was a good enough reason to make this soap for myself again. A small, personal treat. The kind of thing I believe every woman in this season of life deserves to do without apology.
After a few hours in the East Texas heat — yes, it was warm — there is something restorative about a proper cleanse with something you trust. Something simple, made from ingredients you recognize, that works with your skin rather than against it. That is all I have ever wanted from a bar of soap. And it is what this one has always been.
What the Mower Taught Me
Here is what I have been sitting with since that visit.
Peace does not always arrive exactly the way we expect. Sometimes something interrupts our plans. Sometimes we have to move around a little — adjust, stay longer, look again. And in doing that, we end up seeing more than we would have otherwise.
If it had been a perfectly quiet park that day, I might have sketched the first thing I saw and moved on. I probably would not have crossed that little bridge. I would not have walked the island. I would not have come back to those lily pads with quite the same sense of appreciation.
The mower was not the problem. The mower was the teacher.
This is one of the quiet lessons I keep finding on this journey: tending to yourself well does not always look like perfect conditions. Sometimes it looks like adjusting gracefully when the conditions are not what you hoped for — and finding something beautiful anyway.
Peace doesn’t always arrive exactly the way we expect. Sometimes something interrupts our plans. And in adjusting, we end up seeing more than we would have otherwise.
The Quest: 88 Parks, One Practice
The Texas State Parks Passport gets a unique stamp at each of the 88 parks in the system. I am visiting every single one, and documenting what each stop teaches me — about nature, about tending to yourself well, and about what it means to age with intention rather than resistance.
Martin Creek Lake is stop 13 of 88. Which felt a little appropriate, since May 13th is my birthday.
Lake Bob Sandlin was stop twelve. Daingerfield State Park is next.
This is not a race. It is not a travel vlog. It is a practice of showing up for yourself — one park at a time. If you are in a similar season, looking for a way to reconnect with yourself and approach your life with more care and less urgency, you are welcome to walk this with me.
Practical Notes for Your Martin Creek Visit
- Location: 9515 FM 1716, Tatum, TX 75691
- Day use hours: Typically 6 AM to 10 PM — confirm current hours at the Texas State Parks website
- Entrance fee: Standard Texas State Park day use fees apply; the Annual Pass is worth it if you plan to visit multiple parks
- Park highlight: The walking bridge to the small island — cross it even if you do not plan to stay long
- What to bring: Water, sunscreen, a sketchbook if that is your thing, comfortable shoes, and something simple for after a warm afternoon outdoors
- Worth noting: The lily pads along the lakeshore near the picnic area — first ones I have seen in the entire 88-park journey
- Noise level: This is an active, well-maintained park — expect the sounds of a well-loved place
FAQs
What is the Texas State Parks Quest?
The Texas State Parks Quest is my personal journey to visit all 88 official Texas State Parks. Each visit is documented through video, journaling, and sketching — with a focus on how time in nature supports graceful aging, skin health, and intentional living at every stage of life.
Why do you sketch at every park?
The sketchbook is one of the anchoring practices of this whole journey. Sketching forces me to slow down and truly look at where I am — which is both a meditative practice and a creative one. The sketches from all 88 parks will eventually illustrate a book I am writing about this journey, so each drawing is also building something larger.
What is Orange Blossom & Sandalwood Soap and why did you bring it to Martin Creek?
This is one of my own handcrafted formulations built around neroli — the essential oil distilled from orange blossoms and one of my very favorite scents. I made this soap years ago and eventually stopped producing it, because neroli is not an inexpensive oil. This year I brought it back, and since the visit fell the day after my birthday, it felt like the right soap to carry. A small, intentional treat.
What does spending time in nature have to do with skincare and aging?
More than most people realize. Chronic stress accelerates aging both internally and in the skin — contributing to inflammation, collagen breakdown, dryness, and reactivity. Time in nature measurably lowers cortisol, supports better sleep, and reduces systemic inflammation. Combined with thoughtful topical skincare, it becomes a genuinely holistic approach to aging well.
Martin Creek Lake State Park is stop ___ of 88 on my Texas State Parks Quest. New episodes post every Friday. If this resonated with you, share it with someone else who is learning to find peace in unexpected places.