Good morning/afternoon (depends on when I decide to share AND when you decide to read)....
With all of this reading that I have been doing lately, I have been dreaming of a vacation, of sorts, that I never thought I had considered. Sadly, not every place I thought of consisted of raging excitement for my family, but has managed to peak my interest just a little. While everyone dreams of the ultimate vacation to exotic places like the tropical climates of Aruba to the more adventurous locations like Australia, I have been thinking along some very different lines.... I have no clue where this thinking has come from, except for the heartwarming books I have immersed myself into, but I want to go to some little, unknown town somewhere, in fact anywhere, in Texas. You know, a place where strangers to the town welcome you with open arms and fierce friends come quickly. I want to walk into a small town bar in jeans, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat to listen to a local band play their songs while I sit at the bar with a cold beer in my hand. No crazy hustle and bustle surrounding me, just laid-back folks having a good time.
I remember, as a kid, I always had some strong attachment to country music, cowboy gear and wide, open spaces. For a while, I openly admitted that I was country when country wasn't cool and I enjoyed my eclectic taste in music, but I always enjoyed the sounds of some classic country music in the style of such artists like Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, The Bellamy Brothers, and such. Believe me, I still enjoy some country music from time to time, but sadly, the more current artists are more contemporary than classic grass-roots stuff I enjoyed. Garth Brooks comes to mind.... one of the many that managed to snag the appreciation from both Country as well as Pop culture. No complaints about his abilities to sing... he does have a voice that manages to get a girl like me to drift off into la-la land. I know that I have always been a sucker for a southern drawl and the gentlemanly acts of a well-taught-from-his-mama cowboy. I still have a sigh in my voice when I think about the few southern gentlemen that I did manage to date for a very short while. Sadly, suburban life was never for them and I was a little too unsure of myself to go running off to live the country life without the assurance of a ring on my finger as a guarantee that I was wanted to be there. Heck, my early 20's were drama filled enough that I would run away before I saw anything through to the end. I also knew that life offered no guarantees that I could even make it in a town that small and I had some pretty big dreams that could not be contained. I was restless and I knew it. Little did I know.... that once I settled down, I really settled down. I am no longer the risk taker, no matter how lacking it was in others eyes, once I took the plunge into married life. Yep, my wild oats were sown and all that is left is the tame and quiet person people see today. That gets me thinking that I probably was made to be a really good fit in the laid-back south, but never bothered trying.... oh well, too late now. All I can hope for is a chance for a vacation to one of those places and feel what I am apparently missing in my life.
I do find it interesting that even though DD is not a fan of country music, nor has the interest of ever going to some small town in Texas or wherever that still holds the local slang to a southern drawl... I do see her being a fit in those places, too. That small community where everyone knows everyone and gossip spreads like wildfire. Just one of those places that waves and kind gestures are second nature like breathing has me still long to go there. I just already know that the suburban life has settled too much in my family's bones to see this kind-of life being too boring that it would bring them to tears. I can only guess that is why those Southern charmers that I dated happened to high-tail it back to the South.... Suburban life is way too city-living and high-paced for them. Of course, I could never just drag my family off to a place that sounds just blissful to me. I would have to take that trip alone to truly appreciate it and I seriously doubt that they would let me do that.... Heck, I would feel just awful leaving them behind if they did let me go.
I do recall in my younger days, taking a little trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Well, I have taken a few, but I managed to take one by myself. Driving straight there and taking in the sights was nice, but still lacked the small town feel that I longed for. Come to think of it.... I think I realized the reason why I feel so drawn there... to the south, that is.... It is the stress-free feeling of people not having real high expectations; to take life as it comes and just a smile is good enough. Don't get me wrong.... I have no doubt that they wake up early to work a full long, and hard day, but when it comes to down time.... they know how to do it right and it does not require fighting over the remote and falling asleep on the couch.
So... Have you ever thought of where you would want to go that seemed odd for a vacation, but the reasoning behind it makes sense to only you? Where would that be and would you ever just go to experience it? I mean, a cruise along the ocean might seem nice, but just going somewhere off the beaten path might be just as nice. Heck, having an adventure in the wilds of Australia sounds like a good time, but exploring somewhere that represents a speck on the map can be just as adventurous.... just not on such a huge scale. I guess it is all in what you take from the experience and what you manage to see that others just can't that makes any adventure a worthwhile thing to do. I really wish I could go on my Southern adventure, but alas, I know I can't and that is just plain sad. Maybe I need to look at the local things I have around me with the same interest and awe as if it is a new place to experience and maybe that will ease the "travel bug" that is itching for release, but if you are able to take that trip.... I would highly recommend getting as many experiences as you can since we only get one chance at this thing we call.... life.
Thanks for taking the journey with me and have a great day!!!
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