thanksgiving on the road

Thanksgiving Day

I’m feeling as relaxed as I have in ages. I’m on my first road trip in twenty years. The last was spring break 1986. And I was not able to pull out my laptop to write in the car.

It must seem like I take a lot of vacations, but that is not true. Last year I lost six vacation days because I did not take them. I’m determined not to make that mistake this year.

My brother and his family go to Sanibel every year. I joined them two years ago. I started exploring the option late to join them last month and the cost of a flight was outrageous. I could not justify the $650 it would take for the tickets. I’d written the idea off and made the mental note to check in to airfare in July. The next week I accidentally dialed John H. instead of John N. We were making small talk and he said he was driving to his moms for Thanksgiving. Next thing I knew I was making plans to drive down with him. I’m flying back Tuesday for only $104. Woo Hoo.

I was nervous about the trip. JH is a good buddy of my brothers. He’s always been super nice to me. But there is no better test of a friendship than a 19-hour drive. So far it’s been great. We’re traveling with John’s dog. John has a big Chevy truck with an extended cab for Benny to stretch out. I drove four hours from Atlanta to somewhere in Florida. We visited a friend of JH’s and found a motel to crash for the night. I checked my e-mail, read for five minutes and slept like a rock star. Today has been leisurely, stopping for breakfast and dropping Benny off.

I really thought I’d read and write more on the trip. JH and I have had some nice conversations. I find that car trips are conducive to honest conversation. Instead of sending employees to my office to talk, I’d always suggest a trip to the bank. You can get a lot hashed out in a ten-minute car trip.

The last two weeks have been crazy busy. I’ll write about the Tonic Ball soon. It is my favorite day of the year. The forced ‘down time’ in the truck has been great. Sitting still is not one of my strong points. I’m also working on being ‘present’ in whatever situation I’m in. Not worrying about what I should be doing or what I’m missing.

I’m looking forward to seeing my niece and nephew. Sleeping on a rollaway bed in their room will be a treat. Happy Thanksgiving!