On The Road (Again)

It's the time of year when my family and I pack up, load the dogs and luggage then point the car in the general direction of the east coast for our annual summer pilgrimmage to Cape Cod. The past few weeks have been filled with last minute appointments, repairs, shopping and other forms of bustle. And yesterday, after one false start (i.e., making it partway down the street before remembering something back at the house), we finally began the trek in earnest yesterday afternoon.

We have been making this drive from TX to MA for about 10 years ever since we ralized we couldn't fly our dogs out for the summer. Correction: We could fly them out to MA, but they wouldn't be able to return to TX til sometime in the Fall due to the heat restrictions for pets in the baggage compartment of the plane. And although the danes are large enough to have a seat booked for each of them in Coach with the human passengers, that idea was pretty much out of the question. So this is how we ended up driving cross country with our little zoo.

Each year offers a different adventure, although with two dogs in tow we are limited in the kinds of side trips we can make. Some years we stop and visit friends and relatives on the way, while other years we experiment with different routes. One year we surprised our daughter by taking a side route while she was asleep in the back--she woke up in amazed awe to the sound and spray of Niagara Falls. Yesterday I missed the connection to Highway 30 and ended up driving a bit more south than I intended. I switched over to US 69 and we enjoyed a beautiful, hilly drive among the piney woods while we ambled back to the desired route.

Keeping an open mind on a road trip is key to enjoyment. Rolling with the statement "It is what it is" is also key. This little mantra was put into play frequently yesterday. It actually began a few days ago when our female Dane went into her first heat. Now just imagine: A 130 lb. great dane wearing ridiculous denim panties with red kerchief trim (the Texas touch) in the back of a Toyota Highlander. In the center seat imagine the 150 lb. male Dane counterpart and a 15 year old teenager. Both teen and dog are engaged in battle over who is taking over the most space on the seat. Teen complains that both dogs are breathing on her...male dog is sullenly complaining by his longing gaze that teen has the best window seat while the female dog in the back is feverishly trying to extricate herself from the denim panties. An hour into the ride, the air conditioner begins to wax and wane and it's 93 degrees outside. All members of the car find ways to alleviate their body heat: The humans begin to sweat and the dogs begin to pant. After a few hours we find ourselves in Italy (Texas) and burst out of the car and into the relatively cool breeze of the early evening. Each and every one of us are grateful to be outside in the breeze enjoying a cold and refreshing treat purchased from the convenience store. After a bit of break and a splash of cold water on our faces and muzzles, we get back in the car, ready to face a few more hours on the road. The air conditioner seems to appreciate the break as well as it feels as though it is offering a bit of a cool air.

So why do I offer you this slice of my life? So you can thank your lucky stars not to be sharing a seat with the teen and dog? That may be, but what I thought about this morning while I ran the streets near the motel was that it is important to roll with things...to be resilient and not wedded to a particular outcome. I wrote about the necessity of resilience and openness in my previous blog about the Tri that almost was. Perhaps this is my particular lesson I am to focus on over the next few weeks--to accept things for what they are and to find pleasure and enjoyment in some aspect of the experience. Everything is a gift and it is our choice how we receive it. The gift can either be received with gratitude and grace or with irritability and resentment. I aim for gratitude and grace, even if I am sweating at the time.
As we get ready to pile back into the car today, my goal is to find the humor in a not-so-perfect situation and enjoy the ride.

Thought for the Day: Can you change your attitude about a not-so-perfect situation in order to shift yourself into a positive frame of mind?

It's been a slow turnin'
From the inside out
A slow turnin'
But you come about

Slow learnin'
But you learn to sway
A slow turnin' baby
Not fade away
--John Hiatt (Slow Turnin')