Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
A trip away from a fall
Who among us has not felt like escaping regular life once in a while? My life here is busy and fulfilling, but I still need to get away to a different landscape and to the precious people that inhabit it. Doing so makes returning to home a pleasure; getting away makes me grateful for the things that I love right here in St. Louis, Missouri.
My go-to destination is Santa Fe, New Mexico. When I am there I feel a different kind of energy welling up inside me. The landscape and people there enrich my spiritual sense of well-being.
When I drive there, the minute I see the “Welcome to New Mexico” sign, my heart gives itself a big flop in my chest. It is a physical sensation of deep joy. A couple of hours later I am with friends, planning for the days to come.
This year, I will start my trip in Indiana at a “Murphy first cousin reunion”. We haven’t been in a group like this for years. It will be the Murphy girls, myself included, and cousin Jack. Some spouses will accompany the cousins and we expect to have a great time catching up with everyone’s life activities.
From there I will start my drive to Santa Fe. It will be two long days behind the wheel, but I do love a good road trip. I think this time I’ll go the Denver route instead of the Oklahoma/Texas way. That means going through Kansas. I have nothing against Kansas. I just remember that it is flat and offers little excitement on the way. My challenge will be to not pass the hours by finishing all the road snacks while driving to Colorado. By the way, the Kansas state motto is a latin phrase, “Ad astra per aspera”. I find it amusing that the English translation is “to the stars through hardships”. Driving across the state does have a light years feel to it.
I remember taking the Colorado/Kansas route to come home to St. Louis after a visit to some National Parks in Colorado. A snow storm had been predicted and I probably should have stayed put in Colorado but I was anxious to get home. I drove through the entire state of Kansas at about 15 – 25 miles an hour. Highway 70 was being closed down because of the severity of the storm. But the road trip gods were with me and kept me just ahead of the road closure. They didn’t help me with the wind, however, and I rocked and rolled through Kansas.
I have Syrius XM radio as a companion. That offers a plethora of listening options as the miles unfurl. There’s music, talk shows, sports – everything I need to keep me interested. And I can talk to the radio, expressing my opinion on what is being said. It’s safe to talk to yourself in the car these days because passers-by just think you’re talking on your hands free phone.
Anyway, in Santa Fe I’ll be with my friends Sheila and Barrett as they celebrate their wedding. I will also visit the monastery of Christ in the Desert, outside of Abiquiu, New Mexico. The monastery is a holy place, and driving there crosses some of the most beautiful land in the state. I am so grateful to have found this spiritual haven in the high desert of “The Land of Enchantment”.