When I was growing up my dad would sometimes take road trips by himself. It was usually because he had to pick one of us kids up from a camp or event. I remember one time he drove to Washington to see his Dad. He drove the entire way by himself. I couldn't understand what would possess a person to drive all that way alone. Wouldn't he terribly miss his wife and 3 kids? How could he possibly do a 3 day drive without his 3 kids in the car reminding him that they weren't there yet? He would reassure us that he was very capable to drive the distance and was looking forward to driving with the windows down and the music up. He insisted that taking a drive alone was a great thing.
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This morning I had a photo shoot up on Mt. Charleston. It's only a 30 minute drive, not far at all. But when you calculate the time using Mommy Time, 30 minutes is...well, forever. 30 minutes all to my self. 30 minutes to listen to music I wanted to listen to. 30 minutes that I didn't have to tell the kids to stop touching each other. 30 minutes to think and let my mind wonder. In other words, 30 minutes of pure bliss.
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On my way out the door I shoved some CD's into my camera case. I took a handful but knew I only needed one. I stopped by Starbucks and grabbed a raspberry hot chocolate and pumpkin muffin. I thought about the calories I didn't need. Then I remembered fat and calories didn't count when I was driving by myself.
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As I pulled onto the freeway I slid my CD into the player. I sang along to many songs I have not listened to in ages. As far as I'm concerned, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and I sounded fantastic together. I drank my Hot Chocolate and leisurely drove up the mountain.
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The photo shoot went great. The weather was incredible and the scenery was gorgeous. We finished up after about and hour and a half. Then I realized I got to do it all over again.
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I took my time coming down the mountain. It was one of the few times I didn't feel the need to rush home and be with the kids and Steve. I pulled the car over and looked at the colorful trees. I moved to the side quite a few times to allow others to pass. I had my windows down and was enjoying the raindrops sneaking in my window. The drive down was even better than the drive up.
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It took about an hour to drive home but this time I don't think I was alone. I felt as if I had a passenger in the car with me. He probably wanted to listen to my music choice because he was the one who taught me to love Simon and Garfunkel. Dad was with me for the ride, whispering in my ear...'see, told you so.'
6 comments:
Gorgeous. Love the story too.
The last part made me tear up and smile at the same time.
What a wonderful story. I know exactly how you feel. I used to commute a long distance to work when my kids were little and people would ask if I minded the long miles and traffic and I would smile and say no, it was the only time of day I had to myself. :)
Neat pictures. I think the second one should be your October page in your calendar. ::wink::
Cool experience - I forget how lucky I am to get to drive alone all the time. I love the mountains - windows down - good music. Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous pictures. Sounds like a little bit of heaven to me!
Love the story and pictures! I bet your Dad was with you too!
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