Phew!
Is it ever hot and muggy on this Tennessee morning!
Though
I knew it was wishful thinking, I hoped that those dark clouds blowing in last
night would have brought with them a little cooler air.
Um, no.
This
morning’s air is stifling, muggy like a swamp.
As
I walked across the parking lot, wiling my mind to think about this post, all I
could think about was how freaking hot it was, how gummy my skin felt at the
end of the long day in a sweatbox gym yesterday.
It’s seven-thirty and
the morning and it’s already heating up.
Voila!
Though
that will be one of this week’s last Happy Moments, it’s a great way to start.
Titles and words and wondering how we’re ever going to string them together to
make some sort of sense are like our best friends and worst enemies.
And
aren’t we in our glory when those thoughts pop into our head?
Could
those Moments be the creatively genius sprites Liz Gilbert says we all have
access to?
Thanks
to Madame Liz, I’m feeling happily brilliant this morning!
That
expression about things heating up is relevant in so many ways, Journeyer.
As
you know, we are definitely warming our tires and burning up the highways as we
make the roughly three thousand miles trip to help our son relocate from
Shreveport to Charlotte.
The
landscapes thus far are spectacular and scenery changes provide a fresh look at
an otherwise ordinary life.
Imagine
this gloriousness if your view wasn’t filtered through a bug stained
windshield!
Fortunately
for Fave and Warren and I, our seven day marathon trip is being broken up into
several components.
Warren
and I have been working feverishly in preparing to leave, so we welcomed our
nice first respite.
We
made a stop in my hometown of Raleigh, where six of our family members were
able to join us for dinner.
Thanks
to Yelp, I found this fabulous place called The Poppyseed Market.
According
to our delightful waitress, Emily, the restaurant began in one small room and
then took over two contiguous spaces as it grew. The owner named the
establishment after her grandfather, whom she called “Poppy.”
Our delightful waitress! Look at those dimples she inherited from her mom!
Sign over the Kitchen Door
If
you’re ever in the Raleigh are, this place is an absolute must for great ambiance, local brews, and food that is unparalleled, whether it be a sandwich…
…an
authentic Philly Cheesesteak…
…beet
salad…
…or
the most scrumptious North Carolina raised Butternut Squash lasagna…
I’m
drooling just remembering how each bite of that deliciousness tasted…
Following
that meal, we popped in to see my dad and stepmom; they weren’t supposed to be
in town but ended up canceling their trips due to a health issue. No matter how
brief the visit is, spending time with family is always a good time.
Heck,
and I say this jokingly and with all the love in the world, but sometimes with
families brief is even better.
And
when you have a sis who stays up all night with her partner preparing a
delicious send off breakfast, life just gets better and better.
The
second leg of this trip is broken up by a training seminar that Hubby and Son
are putting on in Tennessee.
For
any of you Crossfit enthusiasts, this magnificent building has everything you
need to heat up those muscles and maximize your workout.
I,
myself, don’t like sweat running down my bra or my back, or dripping from my forehead
for that matter!
I
guess you could say I’m a little bit spoiled since all of my exercise growing
up was either in or near a pool.
The
thirty people I’ve been watching and photographing these past two days
certainly don’t seem to mind a sweaty body, but then, they do come prepared
with gallon jugs of water and sweat rags and appropriate clothing.
Hmmmm…I wonder if there’s something out
there that would disguise the tomato red flushing that comes with strenuous
exercise and makes my face look like a salad topping…
Guess
that’s another problem for a different day!
Speaking
of this group, they have been one of my week’s fondest, happiest memories.
In
a few short hours a number of them have become like a part of our big extended
family; they are warm and generous and interested and totally interesting people,
people who aren’t afraid to share their stories and their lives and their
vulnerabilities.
That
sounds weird, right, that these strong, athletic individuals would be
vulnerable? But aren’t we all that way when we are first leaning something new?
When we are tackling something we’ve never done before?
The
smiles on their faces as they set new personal records and learned something
they didn’t previously know or the excitement they exhibit when something they
didn’t quite understand before coming to this seminar suddenly makes complete
and total sense…all of those Moments have fed my happy, Journeyer.
Isn’t
it great how happiness spreads like that?
Other
moments that made me smile include the boxes of donations I delivered to the
Salvation Army and the chocolate chip cookies I made for Big Guy and Beauty before leaving
home, sort of like sweet forget-me-nots.
I
delivered a few of these treats and a card to an elderly, widowed neighbor who would
be undergoing surgery to remove a segment of her cancerous bladder in two short
days.
And
I dropped off a few to the auto body guy who is ready to repaint Zee! I am so
excited about this first phase of restoring this little car to her glory days.
And there’s nothing like buttering up the guy who’s going to paint your car.
Talking
about sweet, there’s nothing like spunky and playful ten-week old kittens to
brighten your day. The young couple Fave is staying with rescued these felines from the dumpster in their apartment complex.
The
sight and scent of these fresh blooms was a welcome reprieve when we stopped
for a potty break after so many long hours in the car.
And
then there’s this little bit of bittersweet joy…
Bessy,
named after the handle my grandpa gave his automobiles, has safely transported
our family all over these United States for more than seven years.
Though
her exterior is starting to rust from years of New York’s salted winter
roadways, her heart still chugs along…
Fave
commented numerous times over the seven hour trek from Charlotte to Tennessee
about how comfortable the seats were.
Happy
happens, Journeyer, whether it be sitting on a comfy chair inside a 2004
minivan, staring at the landscape around us, waking from a good night’s sleep,
or in the conversations we have with others.
That
said, I’ve even had a few delightful (some might say delusional) exchanges with
myself.
One
other glorious side effect of this trip lies in the fact that Warren and I have
a break from the heavy conversations we’ve been having since beginning therapy.
That
sort of work is equally necessary, exhausting, and frustrating, for there is
always tension and trauma when we have to revisit our old painful stories.
Who
knows, maybe this little diversion, this bit of slowing those discussions will
heat things up in an entirely different context.
What
about you, Journeyer? What sorts of events or Moments heated up your joy this
past week? I’d love it if you’d share any or all of them here!
Yours
in healing, hope, and happiness.
Catching up on your travels and all I can say is better you than me! Even if you have been near my terrain and will be settling your Fave a couple of hour south of me. Probably heading up good ole I-77 on your way home from there and, once you get clear of the Charlotte traffic, it's not a bad drive. Be sure and roll up the windows as you roll past the Dobson exit sign, there's a hog farm to the right and chicken farms along the way as well. And when you're heading up the mountain, look off and see Pilot Mountain rising from the piedmont, the patchwork of tobacco farms and homes scattered around it -- it's a glorious view so I hope you don't do it on a foggy morning. We'll be close in geography as well as spirit. Happy trails.
ReplyDeleteAh, Angela, wish I'd caught up on my correspondence before I made it home! That view sounds like something I would have enjoyed. Not sure which route we took, I just followed Daphne's (that's our GPS) directions. But, thankfully, our windows were up the entire trip because it was so bloody hot, so if I passed those stinky farms I didn't notice!
ReplyDeleteWill likely be making more trips to Charlotte to see my son, so I'll have to remember I-77. :)