Things I miss (and things I don’t)

November 4, 2011 | by Ken

Some of the things I miss- and don’t miss- on the road.

I MISS… family and friends. Of course that’s the biggie. Thank goodness for email and Facebook, although we’ve discovered that staying “connected” electronically is no substitute for actually staying connected (no quotes). We’ll be happy to be in the same room as our family and friends… someday.

I DON’T MISS… autopilot. You know, that unconscious urge that makes you take the same route to work every day (and sometimes not remember how you got there!). It’s quite a change to wake up every morning and be deliberate, to choose what we’re going to do rather than doing it out of obligation or routine.

I MISS… autopilot. Why do we come up with the aforementioned routines? Because it’s a pain to have to make decisions about everything, all the time: what to eat, where to go, how to get there… arrggh! Luckily, Karen and I are finding ways to ease our brains, taking days off and allowing ourselves to sleep in without plans.

I DON’T MISS… driving. We’re letting a whole lot of other people shuttle us around by air, road and water. We’ve rented a car a couple times to cover specific routes, but mostly we just watch the scenery go by.

I MISS… Molly. Having a dog was a big part of our lives, and even after Molly died, we had canine visitors like Rocket and Wilson. Nowadays, it’s funny when we’re on a wine tour and spend more time playing ball with the winemaker’s dog than tasting the wine!

I MISS… movies. Prior to August 29th, my life was filled with movies. So far in our travels, theaters are expensive and the common room at the hostel is often claimed by more urgent viewing (Rugby World Cup games were non-negotiable). Not sure when I’ll get to see The Muppets… but you can see it, in U.S theaters on November 23rd and releasing internationally shortly thereafter.

I DON’T MISS… paying bills. The mortgage, the water bill, the cable bill… you can have ’em. We streamlined our finances for this trip, and doing the books takes a few minutes online.

I MISS… friends and family. Yup, you get in there twice. We love hearing from you, so keep the comments and emails coming!