Things sped up significantly the last few days, as we were packing up plants and getting ready for the first trip. It was a day to remember. Not a lot of sleep the night before, I was packing plants and my own stuff until maybe 10:30 or later, and then up by 4 am-ish to finish packing and moving the plants into the car yesterday. Then, we finally left around 7am, and arrived just a few minutes before midnight. I took two caffeine pills and three naps interspersed throughout the day.
I'm going to call it the "rainbow road" trip, after the mario kart racing course of the same name, because, after getting out into the empty country (Kansas and Nebraska) -which was lovely- we drove into a huge sporadic rainstorm, and saw so many different rainbows that I lost count. It was absolutely gorgeous, and fun, and adventurous, as we drove through the heavy parts of the rainstorm. And then the cool contrast, of bright rays of sun lighting up patches of bright green grass, amidst the dark gray shadows of the rainclouds, all around. And, though we were worried about the plants staying cool enough (which was the whole reason we got a van: the air conditioned cab was connected to the back part) I think they were all fine, and the rain meant it wasn't even that hot for much of the day.
I realized I really enjoy the peaceful part of cross country drives. Where it's just you on cruise control, going fast, through beautiful vistas, with few cars between, and easy passing. I listened to most of a book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on flow states, and then was just driving in silence for a long time, contemplating the big questions of my life and enjoying the scenery.
I'm kind of out of it today, unsurprisingly, but I'm taking it easy, so hopefully by tomorrow I'll be back to normal-ish. And I'm thoroughly enjoying it all. Thanks in large part to slowing down and not feeling rushed or crunched for time.
I feel like these past 5 or so (maybe even 7?) years of intense activity have given me a deep appreciation for the time and freedom I had previously, but ended up... not exactly taking for granted, but not properly appreciating. Instead, I would be unhappy, feeling down on myself for not doing more. Now I am both more focused and disciplined, and more easy on myself, and much more prone to gratitude and not wasting time with negative ruminations.
It's interesting though, Fairfield no longer feels like home, coming back to it. I wonder if it's just time, or the fact that I'm not plugged into anything here anymore. I'll need to re-make it home, I guess.
We're going to see some houses, also, but not many, just because there are not many going on the market. Small town, slow market, and not a lot of promising options. We're considering building for that reason, but with supply chains still wobbly and contractors hard to find, we'll have to do some research to see if that's going to be even more of a headache than just waiting for something.
OK, I think that's all. I might just take another nap before our first house viewing of the visit.
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