Driving

From the vantage point of being retired for 18 months, it seems almost impossible that my life has become so different. Most days I love it, some bring a trapped feeling, but others (and today is one) give me such a feeling of freedom. I can choose to do whatever I want, be around others, be completely alone, just being ME......and, being me can be very strange, say I laughing out loud, as I did this morning.  It is a bitter cold day with very heavy wind, but the sun is so bright and beautiful.

After getting Mr T off to school, at 8:30 I came home to lovely quiet, with the morning sun pouring in to my sitting room, and while finishing my morning tea, proceeded to go through my paper pile that always accumulates on the table beside my chair.  I consolidated lists, checked off a lot of things now done, entered movies to see and books to read into my computer files, wrote some notes to friends, paid bills, and worked out some budget matters for the month, and ordered some border fabric for my current quilt project. While preparing to leave the house on the expedition of the day, I pulled out my collection of fabric. It is all stored in a small clothes closet, and tonight I will go through each box and weed out fabric I will never use, and donate it.  So all that took me about 1.5 hrs, and I was out the door with a small list of things I needed. 

After the little errands were done (and how nice to not feel rushed, and be able to look to my hearts content.....today's haunts were TJ Maxx, and Michael's.  As I walked through the icy wind back to my car, I thought, hmmmmmm, I can now pursue my favorite past time and have no restrictions, except a tad of common sense, of course......I LOVE to drive around and look to see what is happening. Today took me all around Middleboro, Wareham, Rochester, Bourne, and a few other places. With only natures bones exposed at this time of year, there is so  much  more to be seen and savored,  There were lots of cranberry bogs to be enjoyed, some flooded to protect the vines from freezing, others just beautifully glowing in their deep red winter coats, and others being worked on with sand, new soil and plantings.  Very interesting. Soon some of them will be covered with ice skaters.  I found restaurants I have read about, and new businesses going in, and others, sadly being torn down. One particular old favorite, The Chicken House, in Middleboro, being razed to make room for a solar project. I was literally driving for 2.5 hours and kept thinking how lovely to have the time to enjoy something that has been a part of my life since I can remember.  First with my grandparents and parents, then with various partners, and so often alone, driving and looking (carefully, of course) has saved me, delighted me, and taught me so much.  There is always a book by my side, and if a beautiful spot arises, I love to pull over and read for awhile.

I took no photos, as I just stayed in the moments and yet, "photos" of my travels today, will last forever in my mind, and serve my sanity well.