The Long Way Home

I glanced at my phone.  5:57pm.  ‘Close enough,’ I thought and brought up the time clock on my computer, and punched out.  It had been another fun day of juggling at the office, and I was pretty well over it.  I would pick it all back up tomorrow.

I walked outside and into the humidity and swore I heard my hair get bigger.  I have embraced my natural curliness, which means I am also embracing its natural ability to grow in humid conditions.  It was whatever.  I was going home anyway.

Just to give you an idea of the weather conditions, I got into my vehicle and my sunglasses fogged up. I pulled them off and rolled down my windows.  This is the first vehicle I have owned that the AC works in, yet I only use it when I feel like the heat had potential to kill me.  I prefer the windows down, regardless of how hot it is.

I pulled out of the parking lot and turned up the radio and immediately noticed the police vehicles blocking the main road off, which also happened to be in the direction I normally take to go home. I could turn around and take a short detour to the other main road and still take my normal route home.

Or I could turn right and take the long way home.

In absolutely no rush, I opted for the long way home. It took me into Michigan and down a semi-scenic country road, and I wondered if this qualified as a side trip – since it technically was taking me in a different direction than I initially intended to go. I figured I needed to go to the pharmacy and car wash anyway, and this would put them directly in my path instead of having to drive past my house to get there.  Plus, it would give me some time to decompress between work and home.

Paramore came on the radio, and I smiled at the memory it brought with it – getting ready for a rock show in my old apartment, rejected outfits scattered across my bed, excitement filling me as I sang the lyrics and pulled on my high heeled boots – and admired the puffy clouds that were towering in the sky in front of me. I thought a little about the editing I am doing on the old blog post and how I wanted to add to it but still trim it down somehow and dismissed the thought because it was frustrating to me. I wondered if I had picked the correct side road or if I was going to get lost trying to find my way back to the main road. I didn’t much care.  I am pretty familiar with the area and knew that it was damn near impossible for me to really get lost.  So, I just admired the clouds and sang with the radio and let my thoughts wander wherever they may.

I booked a trip today. A trip that requires expressway driving, which is still on my list of things to conquer.  The trip will take me to a destination that I have wanted to visit since I was a child.  The moment I paid for the hotel though, I felt my heart start to race, and my breathing quicken.  I wondered what the fuck I had just done. I made the decision and booked the hotel in less than fifteen minutes.  Sometimes it takes me longer to decide on what to make for dinner. Let alone throwing money out like that and making definite plans like that and well holy shit, here we are. I am going on one of my bucket list vacations.  I mean, good for me.

I had picked the right option for side roads and soon found myself on the main road and heading back towards home. 

I first stopped at the pharmacy and sat wondering at how life had progressed.  I was picking up a prescription for Matthew, and I remembered what it was to not know how to get one refilled. I remembered what it was to have to walk to the pharmacy instead of taking the long way home and picking up the prescription through the drive through.  I stopped at the car wash and remembered when it was a treat to be able to get my car washed in an actual car wash and not just hose it down – and now it was part of my daily routine.

I booked a little mini road trip today and once upon a time I relied strictly on my feet to get me from point A to point B.  Once upon a time I felt nervous ordering a pizza, and now I’m booking hotels like it’s not a big deal.

Interesting.  Interesting how in the blink of an eye life can be so different. 

Interesting how life takes all of us down similar paths. But some take the long way and others take the quicker, less scenic route.

Happy Wednesday.

Photo by Pat Whelen on Unsplash