Do you enjoy traveling?

I'm actually tired enough to hit the pillows, but I know that if I go to bed now (it was 9:30 pm when I started writing), I'll be waking up when my husband gets up at 4:15 a.m. That's when he gets ready for work... he has a 45 minute commute to work.

I, on the other hand, have a ten minute commute to work. I don't want to get up at that early hour. It wouldn't be so bad if I could fall right back to sleep, and there was a time when I could, but for some reason my inner clock has changed in recent years, and after I've had about 7 - 8 hours of sleep, if something wakes me up, I have to get up or I will lie in bed awake until I do.

And there is nothing worse on a workday than waking up before you have to, and not being able to go back to sleep when you have another hour or more to do it. If you could <sigh>.

I have tried getting up earlier, just going along with the inner clock thing, but that means I'm at school by 5:30 a.m, and I'm wiped out by the time 2:30 rolls around. I need to be at school some days until 5 or 6pm, so getting there at 5:30 and putting in twelve hours is definitely not something I want to get into the habit of doing.

Which is I why I'm posting this entry... I'm too tired to do any serious work for school, but an entry like this (requiring no searches or photos to upload) I can do to keep me awake until it is safe to go to bed (so I won't wake up too early).

In response to the weekend assignment posted by John at By The Way:

Weekend Assignment #141: Do you enjoy traveling? Not the arriving and being where you're going, mind you; I'm asking if you enjoy the actual act of traveling from one place to another, by car or train or airplane or whatever. What I'm asking is if you enjoy the journey as much as you enjoy the destination.

Extra credit: Any more travel planned for 2006, or are you home for good for the rest of the year?

There was a time when I enjoyed travel, especially when flying. I'm one who likes the journey as much as, if not more than, the destination.

I do not like driving long drives that take more than four hours. A four hour drive out here will get me either to the mountains of NC or the coast of NC... and into Virginia, or into South Carolina. I can probably make it as far west as Tennessee. A good four hour drive, even if I'm drivng alone, is actually exciting and pleasant, providing I have no car troubles to deal with.

Anything more than that infringes on my mental comfort, and after five hours or so, I'm ready for a major break. Eight hours and I'm spending the night in a motel if I'm not where I'm supposed to be.

Traveling, whether for a vacation trip or to visit long distance family, feels different when I'm alone versus when I'm driving with my husband. I like traveling with him more now that we're older than when we were younger.

Then, he always rushed me, questioned my packing decisions, was always in a hurry to get where we were going, cursed at traffic, and was never in a good mood during the trip. Pets never accompanied us on a trip. Traveling was not his favorite activity. He treated it like shopping: go in, get what you want, and leave. That's how he looked at our vacations back then. More than twelve years ago he was like that. I seldom enjoyed our vacations because of all that rushing around to get there.

I like to travel slowly, take my time, enjoy the drive, make some stops along the way, do some side trips... you know, like when I shop: I like to browse. If I see something I need or want, I'll buy it, or I'll look around for ideas and new products... I like to look around when I shop, and when I travel.

But after a few health emergencies that occurred when he was in his forties, my husband began seeing things with new "eyes" and a new philosophy, you might say.

He hasn't rushed me in years, and I can't remember when he last complained about my packing luggage. He takes his time. He waits for me. He suggests we stop and look around, and he enjoys the journey now. He still occasionally cusses at rude drivers on the road, but not like he did back then. He doesn't mind it if we have to take our dogs with us. I even see him smile more often.

So, travelling with him has become more pleasant. But now our working schedules are in conflict, and we don't have the same weeks off, or we differ in what we want to do with our time off. We both agree on relaxation. My mind is in the mountains, his is at the coast.

I also like traveling alone once in awhile, like during the summer when I made that trip to a mountain chalet. I had never done that before, but I needed to get away ... really get away in a spiritual sense... before the new school year started. It was the best time I've ever had alone. Well, Max was with me for companionship and to be a watchdog of sorts. He's a great barker.

Also, when I travel alone, I don't like listening to the radio, except to hear weather reports or occasionally to catch a news report. The radio becomes like so much chatter to my mind when I'm reflecting on change. I like the silence when I'm alone. I think about things I'm trying to solve, or I'll try to recall a dream I had, or think of topics to write about.

Often, I will pray when I'm driving... for the safety of the drivers on the road, including myself. When I see an accident, I will pray for whoever was involved, and I'll pray for the safety of officers on the road, and the roadworkers. I ask God to protect them, and lead them safely to their families by end of day. I think that praying while I drive makes me more aware of my actions as a driver.

Do I plan on doing any more travel for the remainder of 2006? No, I'm home for the rest of the year, except for the family visit on Christmas Day, which is usually less than 2hours, depending upon traffic.

I like traveling as long as I get time to rest when I get backhome. I don't like coming back from a vacation one day and driving to work the next. I need some down time after traveling, and time to regroup and get mentally prepared for the work I do.

Do you like to travel? Write up an entry and leave a link here or in John's journal, or write about it in the comment section here.

Now, ... I think it's safe to go to bed!

Tags: traveling