Sometimes The Joy Of Travel Is Joyless

I haven’t conducted a scientific study so I can’t tell you if I really do see more travel related stories before I am about to get on a plane.

Nor can I say they always seem to be about mechanical failures, crashes or bad passengers even though those seem to stick out to me.

What I know for certain is I don’t like flying as much as I once did. The magic has worn off for me though there are moments where it comes back.

It is rare to find me on a plane without my Airpods or a larger pair of noise cancelling headphones upon my head. I rarely engage in conversation with others now preferring to live inside the electronic cocoon I build for myself.

My phone always has music, podcasts, books and movies or bingeable series downloaded upon it. Sometimes I’ll include a notebook and a pen for my writing or watch something on the aircraft screen if there is one with something interesting upon it.

Interest levels in going somewhere vary too depending upon whether I am traveling because I choose to or because I have to.

Sometimes the joy of travel is joyless, but I try to find something to be excited or interested in. Might as well take advantage of the time if I can.

Mean Girls Come From Mean Moms

I came across a comment from a woman I knew in LA who gave birth to a mean girl which didn’t surprise me because her mother was awful.

We had more interaction than I was interested in because our kids were involved in similar activities. That mean mom and I exchanged words once and I think she was surprised when I spoke my mind.

Dad wasn’t a prize either and when he got involved I told him I was surprised she had given him his balls back long enough for him to feel like he could swing them around.

It is at least a dozen years or so since this fabulous encounter so I found myself considering if it had been worth the time and whatever minimal energy had been expended upon it.

The answer was yes it had been because sometimes entitled people need to be exposed to the word no and to people not rolling over because they have money.

Or maybe that is just an excuse I use because he was an ass and she was a bitch. Doesn’t really matter because it is in the past and it is one of many things I can’t change or adjust.

Don’t feel any need to apologize or engage in any conversation with them at all as opposed to others where I notice the silence.

Notice the silence and wonder what the reason for it is and whether it is best to let them find me or if that approach leads to continued quiet.

****

That continued quiet makes me wonder a bit if they hear it or if it is there because they do not recognize the silence.

If they do not notice the absence does that not speak volumes. Does that not tell me there is no reason to consider or concern myself with it since they do not care.

Or perhaps they find themselves like me in a period of life where things are so engaging it is hard not to believe that time has accelerated and days go by in 19 hours instead of 24.

Dunno.

Lessons Learned

My middle sister and I spent a few minutes talking about her daughter’s upcoming graduation and how her first job will take her to a city we grew up hearing stories about.

In some ways it felt like a mythical place to me because it was where so many members from both sides grew up in or where they still lived.

Our father would have been very interested to speak with his granddaughter about these next steps and to share stories.

I would have enjoyed reminding him that like me he is a native Angeleno and that he hasn’t lived there in more than 50 years.

Which reminds me about how people have asked if I could ever see myself living in LA again and my answer has always been it is not impossible.

Dad and I had that conversation once upon a time. He told me he thought it was unlikely to happen for quite some time because once I sold my house it would be hard to get back into the market there.

He wasn’t wrong, it would be a challenge and potentially one that I don’t want to take on. It is not something that is imminent and perhaps not something that will be on the table until I retire.

As things stand Florida is off the table and Arizona too. I don’t expect Texas to be likely unless the political situation changes or the financial situation makes it impractical.

Not sure that I will want to put myself into a position in which I deal with real cold and real snow. Not impossible, but probably not the top of my list.

There will come a time when I will not have to wake up each day to try and earn a buck. I’ll want to spend some of that time traveling to different spots and places then for certain.

Remember there is joy in travel when it is on your terms or at least there should be.

In the interim I need to take a moment to make sure I have enough charging cables for the electronics that travel with me. Kind of a pain-in-the-ass but sometimes that is how it goes.

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