The Open Road

I’ve told my husband previously that my two favorite vacations we’ve taken together were the two when we did a TON of driving. We drove to Canada, across to multiple regions, and home. We also drove from Vegas to Carmel, and entirely down the coast to LA. We’ve had other amazing vacations, including other trips to Vegas, and many to Walt Disney World. Why were these my favorite? And what does this have to do with working from home?

On Friday, we had to make an unplanned trip to St. Louis. This is a trip we’ve taken so many times before for hockey, baseball, concerts, and family. (Sometimes every weekend!) We hadn’t been since January due to conflicts and then COVID19. I was honestly missing my second home, so when circumstances presented themselves, I wasn’t really complaining. After taking an unscheduled day off, aligning my parents to watch my girls, and working late on mid-year reviews the night before, I was ready to go.

There was nothing extraordinary about this trip. It’s the first time we’ve driven there and back in one day. We just drove, took care of business, had some lunch, and drove home. I spent about 10 hours total behind the wheel. But I discovered something…

The road looked bigger and brighter than it ever had before. Now, this stretch of road can be pretty boring. It’s flat with farmland, and no real points of interest. And having driven it so often for so long, there was nothing new to discover. Yet, this time, there was.

I mentioned in a previous post about my red bench, and the different perspective it offered. Well, the open road kicked that up 100x. There were no walls (other than the car obviously!) In every direction, the view stretched out for miles and miles. There were no obstructions. At home, I’m still locked in by trees, other homes, and general suburbia. On the open road, there was expanse. There was no “screen” in front of me (again, except the car). My eyes were free from digital interruption and able to focus on distances I had not seen in some time.

I realized then that the road trip was freeing. It could be looked at as a tedious means to an end. Or, it could be looked at as an exciting openness of boundless possibility. This was the first time I truly felt like I had been let out of my cage in months. Every cow, cloud, and cornfield was renewed, and in-turn renewed me.

Now that travel is opening up, I highly recommend a road trip. It doesn’t have to be anything more than the road. You can drive for hours, stop for lunch, and drive back. There’s very little we can do still, with tourist attractions and exhibits restricted. But that drive – man, that drive! Feel the freedom of the open road and revel in the unencumbered view of the world. For anyone struggling right now with home walls closing in, get in the car and remove all the walls. A few hours of your time and a few bucks in gas are a small price to pay for a mental recharge. This is a brand new meaning for the phrase "the open road".