Hello there.
I’m back! I think I’m back, anyway. I want to be. I miss blogging. I won’t bother trying to explain why I have been away because, truth is, I’m not completely sure. It’s been a tumultuous few years. Not BAD, just up-and-down. To me, it feels like there have been more downs than ups, but that’s just because I am my own worst critic.
I just got back from an unplanned vacation. I mean “unplanned” in the most literal sense of the term. I’d been thinking about taking a trip, because I REALLY needed some time to decompress, but my work schedule was making it difficult, plus I had some impending personal commitments.
For me, thinking about taking a trip is a definite precursor to the actual planning of said trip. The first step is always deciding where to go. I mean, it’s a big world. I knew I’d be traveling on two wheels, so the distance was somewhat limited since I don’t like to ride too far in a short period of time. Unlike that Hubby of mine who recently got back from a ride to ALASKA, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.
There are some places I’d been considering, mostly because I’d never been, such as Nova Scotia and the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. I’ve never ridden my motorcycle in Canada either and would like to see Toronto and Montreal. I finally scheduled some vacation time from the job, but hadn’t decided whether I would go to one or all of those places. And then life threw me a curveball.
On June 7, I got laid off. WTF, right? I’d sort of been expecting it–business had been really slow– but it was still a shock when it actually happened. I didn’t really expect that I would be the one to get cut, even though it’s happened to me before. Anyway, long story short, I am unemployed. That’s the end of that extremely stressful job!
It happened just before noon on a Thursday, so I had the whole afternoon to mull it over. Hubby had actually gone into his office that day, so he didn’t have to listen to me venting. Instead, I just kept my mouth shut and took Belle for a couple of very long walks.
I finally told Mike after his work day had ended. Later, after he’d had a chance for the news to sink in, he suggested I take a vacation. Real practical, right? I had been thinking that, but never would have suggested it. He knew I’d never suggest it, so he did.
That night and the next morning, I gave it some thought. All real vacation plans were probably out the window and, like he said, once I start a new job, it’ll be a while before I get any real time off, so why not?
It really was not practical, but was sorely needed, so I did it. It was wonderful. I threw some clothes together, grabbed some maps, and off I went. I thought I might finally visit Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, but had no plan beyond that. Heck, I even took my passport just in case I did head north.
Now I just have to figure out what’s next. That’s the “beginning” I refer to in this post’s title. A new beginning. A fresh start. There are so many possibilities!
Thanks for checking-in on me. I hope you see you again real soon.