I Want Adventure in the Great, Wide Somewhere (My Apologies to Menken and Ashman)

Picture of a backyard. Part of a shingle roof dominates the foreground. Looking past the roof, some flowering fruit trees are visible, with grass and a gray retaining wall finishing the picture. Behind the retaining wall, a large palm tree and shrubbery are in front of several houses. There are mountains in the distance.
I am currently sitting in my sister's old room (now, the guest room), listening to the rain fall and fall. I will be heading back to my place tomorrow, and I am about ready to go home to do things that I need to do back there. I will be heading to a new airport during my trip back to my land, and I am looking forward to some novel things during the experience.

I love traveling.

I don't much care what the mode of transportation is in my travels. I've driven completely across this country of ours, taken the train from several destinations to new locations, flown all sorts of places - in fact, across two oceans, and been on a boat for several days. I enjoy the process of travel - almost all of it - not a big fan of having to hoist my carry-on into the overhead compartments, but the rest is pretty good.

I strive to have a life where I can travel to places I have never been before. I have that sort of life occasionally, and I enjoy it. I am going to be driving to a conference next week, and I am looking forward to the four hours in the car each way. I'll load up my iPod with television shows and use my CD collection for music, and off I will go! Once I get to my destination, I will luxuriate in the hotel and just enjoy myself for a bit. I no longer have to present at the conference, so I will get some extra time to just rest and think in the quiet of a new place.

At the end of this journey, I am ready to plan the next one. I had not been on a plane since December of 2019 until this past week. I enjoy flying, but I will enjoy next week's travel by car just as much. It doesn't really matter how I get places, just that I get places.

For the next couple of years, I am going to try to get back into the habit of going somewhere. I will always come home, but I would also like to go to new places. This year, I have one place to go that I have visited before and another that is brand new to me - both for music therapy conferences. Music therapy conferences have taken me all over the world now, and I am appreciative of that fact and situation.

picture of the author - a middle-aged woman with brown hair and large sunglasses - smiling at the camera
Once I get to my destination, I do not always do a great job of exploring the new place outside of the hotel, but that is something I will strive to do during my next two big trips. Get out and see what is around.

My favorite thing to do when I travel is to record my experiences in one of my books. My Grogu book (made on Monday and decorated a bit more yesterday during my Mom's crafting group) will go with me. I like to use bits and pieces of things to decorate. This trip includes a business card for my family's favorite restaurant and a coupon card for our favorite candy place in the mall. I will be putting those into a pocket I made to help me remember the things we did during this trip. I will pick up bits and pieces when I drive as well, so the book will start to fill up. I didn't bring my mini picture printer, so pictures will have to wait until I am home, but that will be something I can pack easily for next week's adventure.

It is a gloomy day here so far. The light hasn't even attempted to pierce through the clouds. Of course, we have transitioned into Daylight Savings time - why?? What does this actually accomplish these days?? - so, the dawn is a bit later than it was when I first arrived here. It has rained more days than it has been sunny, but I don't mind. I enjoy rain. One of the things that I have noticed during this trip is that the flower palate is different from what it is in either December or July (the times I usually visit). There is much more yellow during spring. Mom has daffodils and some iris around her garden right now. I enjoy seeing what she grows - in all seasons.

So, I will be coming home to a place where spring is starting, but is not in full bloom like it is here. I will be unpacking my things, and then repacking things for my trip next week. There will be somewhat less gifts and somewhat more professional type dress next week, but that is part of the fun as well. I hope that this conference will be a source of inspiration for me, but we will see. I'll take a prayer shawl project with me to keep my hands busy and to encourage others to chat, just in case it is not all that interesting. We will see what transpires.

For now, though, I think I will head downstairs to start sorting through my stack of things. Happy Wednesday, all!

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