Mind over matter, Numbers
I guess I haven’t had time to recap anything since my return from PA on Sunday afternoon. I pulled out of Todd’s place a little before 7AM. I gave everyone hugs and thanked them for their hospitality. Of course I also gave big hugs to Oakley and Bailey, my canine niece and nephew. I knew that I was going to push myself to go as long and as far as I could tolerate. Luckily driving 15 hours plus in a Tesla is pretty enjoyable. I used a lot of music to keep me going since I had already consumed the podcasts I am subscribed to. Coffee was consumed three different times during the day as well. I managed to avoid the DC traffic this time but got stuck in a mess near Richmond that slowed my progress by maybe an hour.
I was eager to get back and my vehicle speed reflected it. Most the time I had autopilot programmed to maintain 80 miles an hour. If traffic around me was moving faster than that, so did I. The first 10 hours or so went ok, the last 5 involved some Jedi mind tricks to keep moving forward. Kerri gave me a few calls during the day to check in on me and keep me alert, which I appreciated greatly. My last charging stop for the day was in Brunswick Georgia. There was a Hilton right near it. I paid nearly $200 to lay my head on a pillow for around 6 hours which was stupid but I was too tired to care.
I set my alarm for 5:45 and drug myself out of bed. My body said “what the f are you doing?” but as always, my inner taskmaster won out as I got ready in 15 minutes and was back in the car, skipping the complimentary breakfast because 7AM was just too late for me to wait around. I crossed into Florida in a little over a half hour and the push was on. Despite having a great trip I just wanted to get home, ASAP. The miles flowed pretty quickly.
Just as I did on the trip up, my path took me right past Babcock which was convenient since I had to pick up Elsa. When I walked in Ali’s place she was unsure for a split second but when she realized it was me she went crazy, dancing around and being adorable. It was great having her with me for the last hour of my journey home. I managed to pull into the driveway somewhere around 3:30, a much better day, cutting nearly 8 hours off my Saturday travel time.
As soon as I walked into the house I got hit by a mildew smell which surprised me. I left the AC at its normal setting for the trip so I didn’t get it. I immediately jumped into action opening windows, cranking the two air filters in the house and lighting a candle. The thermostat was set a degree lower than I recall leaving it at so I am not quite sure what the deal was. Luckily things returned to normal after an hour or so but I do have my AC company coming to do the overdue 6 month maintenance today.
I was like a whirlwind, trying to get things sorted out. I was darting around the house, at times starting one task, remembering something else I had to do, start that and then jump backward to finish the other task. It happened 11 or 12 times at least, crazy. I was rushing because Kerri was coming out to visit which was great. We talked a lot during my trip but I was of course better to see her in person.
I took Monday off as well. Whenever I am away I feel like I have a log jam of work around the house that MUST be completed immediately. Well yesterday I realized that isn’t necessarily the case. Sure I got some stuff done but I wound up spending a good portion of the day doing things I enjoyed instead of things that were on the long mental list that is always circulating. Sometimes it feels like 23 out of 24 hours of my day are spent doing, thinking, or planning various aspects of my life. I am hoping this holiday season is filled with a lot more special moments instead of tasks. The work will get done but the fun and enjoyable parts of life can’t be sacrificed as a result. I mean washing sheets and making the bed is necessary but not very memorable.
It was a great experience for me to see my friends and family up north. It reinforced my desire to connect more, generally speaking, in my life. I am grateful for many, many things and feel fortunate to keep moving away from the dark and dreary days that enveloped this same time period last year.