Summer Road-Trip Adventure

I have finally made it to summer...

I have made it through the school year, virtually unscathed, none worse for wear, and actually able to sit up and take nourishment. I am glad the year is over and that summer is here...a time to recoup my senses, regain some sleep hours I have lost, as is evident as this time thingy rushed across my temples, turning my hair a lovely shade of white. Justin thinks I should keep going with a salt and pepper look...don't dye it. I think he is right.

I have begun what is going to be known as my "Summer Road-trip Adventure".

I left on Thursday and stayed in Omaha until Sunday and got back in my car and trekked farther north to Fargo to spend the week with my folks up here.

Friends always think, "Dang, nine hour drive= BORING". However, driving for me is extremely cathartic. I think through issues of the day, of the week, of the year. I am able to calm myself and reflect on what my mind has raced through in the past. I was able to reflect on things that I have seen, accomplished, missed, experienced. It is truly a quiet moment when I can hear myself speak, listen to my Ipod, and enjoy the silence. It is something I desperately need at times. I need to remind myself that I must find more silent times in the years ahead...when life gets too hectic...SILENCE for a moment...to be able to hear what your spiritual guide is telling you...

I struggle with this...I try so hard to be everywhere for everyone. Be Everything. And yet...maybe not so genuine? I am aware of myself, not being fully present, or feeling that I have missed something or missed a true connection. Be honest...It is HARD to not get caught up in this rat race called life, to not pay attention to who was speaking, to feel the edges getting blurry and tunnel vision circling in for a lengthy visit.

While in Omaha, I was able to reconnect with dear dear friends and family and to spend some much needed time with folks I have missed dearly. It is always rushed and the schedule gets crammed when I come to Omaha... SO many people to see in a crazy amount of time. One-on- one time is sometimes to a minimum sadly. On my trip up, I was reminded of one of the things Oprah preached in her final shows was to "Be PRESENT in all events and to relax and enjoy all that God was showing you". I must remind myself to make the most of whatever time we have together, be PRESENT, and enjoy BEING TOGETHER and RECONNECT.

It has been difficult for me to do this. As much as I encourage BREATHING and SLOWING DOWN, it is difficult to do so in this rat race we call life. With kid's schedules, bosses schedules, dinner plans, rehearsals, and all of the above, I can see why it is easy for all of us to forget these very simple rules.

SO on the way up to Omaha, I Breathed...I slowed down...I caught myself...and retuned into my own station...and upon arrival to Omaha, had the BEST time reconnecting with my friends and family on deeper levels.

On my way to Fargo, I wondered, "How many times have I not been present in the past, giving those around me a feeling of , 'Seriously? Is he really that way all the time? Kind of fake and not real and focused on what I was saying to him'?" While in Omaha, I really felt that I was able to calm myself, just connect to my friends, to what they were saying, to hear their stories, to reconnect on a deeper level, to hear what was going on around me and felt real for the first time in a long time... I was able to be there, in that moment, and spend as much time reconnecting as I had available, and to make the most of it.

Something I have forgotten...