Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
Road trip!
Tomorrow my latest solo journey starts. Have I started packing yet? Of course not. I still have 24 hours. Not that I know where all my cool weather clothes are hiding. Not that I’ve gotten my bigger suitcase from the storage locker yet. And, I might have to make a run to CVS for some last minute toiletry need.
Now, I know people who start packing a week before their departure. That seems so adult and responsible and practical. But I have always waited until the last minute and then thrown my stuff together, hoping that I included everything I will be needing. Fortunately, there are Walgreens and CVS stores where I am going. On my last trip I forgot to pack toothpaste and thankfully the hotel provided little packets of Colgate. Not my regular brand, but beggars can’t be choosers.
The whole point of my road trips is to experience life spontaneously and look for adventure at every possibility. Now that I’m older, though, I do have to make sure that I pack my pills – two weeks-worth requires four weekly pill planners. I never want to get too far away from the little orbs that keep me feeling younger than my stated age.
Then there is the matter of road trip food. My current eating plan does not have room for bags of M&M’s and chips that I usually consume while driving 80 MPH. Also, I am going to New Mexico where the food is heavenly and loaded with calories. My Spiritual Director has challenged me to think of eating as a spiritual experience – where I eat moderately to enjoy the tastes, and moderately to keep my body/mind/soul in balance. I will say a little prayer before each meal with this in mind.
My first destination is Westfield, Indiana, outside of Indianapolis. The Murphy first cousins will be gathering for the first time in many years. There aren’t that many of us left and we are all in our 70’s and above. When I was growing up and we came back from overseas every few years for “home leave”, my favorite place to visit was Winchester, Indiana, where my Aunt and my Uncle each had working farms. I loved visiting with my cousins, the Murphy girls. There were five of them then. My cousin, Ann, died many years ago probably when she was in her late 50’s. I’m sure there will be pictures of her and memories shared.
This is a quick in and out trip and on Wednesday morning I will leave at the crack of dawn and start my way West to New Mexico. Thank goodness I have Sirius XM radio to keep me company as the miles tick past. That means I can listen to MSNBC, NPR, and a range of music stations all the way from Indy to Santa Fe. There will be an overnight stay in Oklahoma before I cross the state line into New Mexico where I hope I see the sign that says, “Welcome to New Mexico. We have chilis, we have weed, and we have reproductive rights!” This is one reason why I love New Mexico…no holds barred.
There is a party planned in Santa Fe to celebrate the wedding of two friends. They got married on a sailboat in Camden, Maine, in August. But the big circle of friends and family gathering to celebrate their marriage will happen on October 2, at a museum on Museum Hill – a place where the architecture and the views are glorious. It will be quite a party.
I will end up going with my friend and co-author, Sheila, to Ghost Ranch outside of Abiquiu, New Mexico for two nights of retreat and reflection. This location is where Georgia O’Keefe painted so many of her wonderful works of art. She loved that land as I do, only I can’t paint. I can just absorb it and try my best to describe it in words. There is so much beauty out there that it prompts my soul to do some beneficial searching. It doesn’t get much better than this.