we're planning a trip for this weekend. long car ride, hotel stay, restaurant meals. i like trips...
this will be a long drive for a short visit. my old man's uncle is turning 80, and the fam is throwing a surprise party. (i am not totally on board with surprising an 80-year old, but nobody asked me.) the party is like 7-1/2 hours from here, and we're only spending one night. 48 hours total, 15 driving. that's like a third of the time. i enjoy long car rides and all, but yikes.
trips are the sherbet of life, good for cleansing the palate, clearing away the tastes and smells of the last course, making way for the next. trips refresh.
when i get busy, my brain gets full, tenses up, cramps. there's no room for creative thoughts. i can't come up with blog posts. i can't troubleshoot everyday work issues. i become a snapping turtle, on a short fuse.
a trip is an excuse to put all the everyday busyness aside, just push it over to the side, and play the license plate game. while you're merrily occupied with finding maine and alabama, subterranean brain processes will dig into your boxes of everyday issues and examine what you've got.
some are pickers, looking for treasure they can sell for profit. some are nursies, triaging the ouchies for repair. some are organizers, little martha-stewart processes, rearranging the issues by size, then by date, then by colour, all the while remaining open to creative accessorizing. some are just there to mop the damn floor, everybody watch your feet!
ride in the car for 7-1/2 hours. search for the alphabet on passing billboards. stop at the rest area and marvel at how different the weather is here than it was where you came from. doze off and wake to eat a locally made fried pie from the only gas station in this godforsaken wilderness of midwest farmland... no offense.
ride in the car. take your mind off your brain, and let the processes do their picking and repairing and organizing and mopping.
7-1/2 hours later, you'll be thanking me.
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