Road trip

Every year for summer vacation we drove from Seattle to Northeastern Oregon to visit my grandparents.  There were three steps to the journey:

1.  The planning
2.  The road trip
3.  The destination

The planning stage was always fun.  The anticipation, the memories, the packing, all brought up the excitement of the journey.

The destination was the best.  I got to bottle feed the baby bum lambs, collect the chicken eggs, ride horses, visit with my friend, wade in the creek, and pick lettuce for dinner from the garden out back.  It was certainly a different world and my grandparents loved me. 

The road trip though...that was not fun for me.  Mile after mile after mile of sand, tumbleweeds, and holding it in until the next stop.  Then there were the winding curvy roads up in the mountains which I could tell made Mom nervous.  With only a guardrail between us and a chasm to what seemed like an eternal drop off to certain death.  Yes, the trees were beautiful but photographs were preferable to actual experience.

My brother and I would take turns riding in the front seat and it was the only time we were allowed to stick our head and hands out the window.  Sometimes it was so hot and this was before air conditioning was in the cars.  We did everything we could think of to pass the time.  We would do the air honk to get the truckers to honk at us, color, try to find license plates from every state, find the letters on the road signs, and of course, sing 99 bottles of beer on the wall.  It couldn't be helped. 

Though there were some fun moments overall I hated these trips.  It was utter BOREDOM in capital letters.  The feeling of being confined and the desolate scenery was not my idea of fun.  But finally we would get where we were going all sore and stiff and life was good again as the grandparents came out to greet us. 

This is how it can be as we take that journey to improve our finances.  It seems to go on FOREVER.  Disciple and learning to say "no", and dangerous curves that if we make a mistake the arrival at our destination will take longer if we make it at all.

Man, it sure did not take as long to rack up that credit card debt as it is to pay it off!  I WANT to go out to a restaurant!  I hate this!  All this stuff runs through the mind some days and month after month it drags on.  The extent of the redo is often the distance and length of time the journey will take.  Will it ever get better? 

Isn't there a plane that will take us to our destination?  There is nothing that makes me whine faster or louder than sustained self-discipline. 

So you are waiting for the good news?  No, I don't like road trips either.  Just wanted to remind you don't fight with others in the car, don't drink too much because it's a long way until the next stop, and remember that someday this will all be a memory.  The important part is arriving at the destination safely.  Then the fun can begin.

Happy Monday to all!