It’s a beautiful sunny day in Texas for the end of October. Temperatures will be in the upper 80’s, can’t complain about that. It’s Fall, but it doesn’t yet feel like that down here. Coming from the Midwest, by this time of year the trees have changed color and most have bare branches. The corn fields are getting cut down, and there are Halloween and scarecrow festivals everywhere. The days were cool and nights were brisk. For me it was my absolute favorite time of year. September and October in the Midwest are just beautiful and I truly miss that season.
This weekend we are going to get some cool weather here, high in the 60’s and low in the 40’s, so that is rather cool for this area for this time of year, but I understand that it takes one of these cold fronts for the few trees that do change color, to change. There is a State Park west of San Antonio called Los Maples. We have never been there, because we were only able to go on the weekends previously, and because our season change is so short and limited that at most you have 1 or 2 weekends to check out the Fall color and it’s gone. The problem with that is that they limit the number of cars in the Park and we have heard that the weekends are extremely busy.
This year, we can go any day. So we’re going to faithfully watch the local weatherman awaiting updates on the tree color changing status and when we hear it’s at peak we’re going to get into the car and drive out there that day. Somewhere between now and mid-November we have to figure out when we’re going to pack!
Yesterday was my first day to start the packing extravaganza! We have a closet that’s rather large and I use it as storage so that was my first task. I was able to stash a lot of stuff into dresser drawers and packed up some stuff on the shelves. It actually wasn’t too bad. Of course I only worked a few hours, but I did feel a sense of accomplishment. I actually felt like I did something worthwhile. I was busy, I was active, I had to think and I had to apply myself, and on top of that I did get some excercise. I find being home every day that you actually have to think very little compared to when I was working. It seemed before that I was always making decisions, planning and organizing, but the last 2 months that really hasn’t been necessary as I typically have more time in a day than what I have planned, so not a lot of planning to get the things done. And what has to be done, really doesn’t have to be done, it’s something to do. So for me packing is actually something I’m looking forward to. It will give me a goal, something that I need to achieve and get completed by a certain time.
This is me, whether I like it or not. I’m goal oriented and being that way all my life, just because I take a few months off, this is not going to change. I’m still driven, but I have slowed down. No need to drive hard, where there’s no place in particular you’re going. But it’s these things that come up such as packing, scheduling movers, coordinating closing dates and coming up with a plan, that I still enjoy. I am actually surprised how quickly I have adapted to my new schedule of sleeping later, reading the paper while enjoy 2 cups of coffee, watching a talk show once in a while, going for a long walk, but I know it’s there, bubbling under the surface, waiting to come out.
I’ll let it come out some day in the future when I am ready to go back to work, but for now I have an avenue to put some of this energy into and I hope that with our few projects we need to do in the new house and the activities we hope to join that I’ll be able to funnel my energy into these types of things, and not be thinking how soon I will be going back to work. For now, I’m learning to enjoy the moments I have now, because if I do go back to work, I need to know that I lived these months to the fullest, appreciated the time I had off, and will be comfortable knowing I had an opportunity that most people do not experience until older. I’ve worked to get here and I’m not going to let it pass my by.
Enjoy your travels this week, hope you’re on the road that you want to be on, and if not it’s never too late to take the next right or left turn and try a new direction. Have fun and until next time, Happy Travels…….
A New Road to Travel 