Staycation: Tuesday's Reflection

For many retirement is a time to travel, and I enjoy hearing about
the interesting trips friends are taking, but my husband and I have realized the last couple years that we are "staycation" kind of people. 

Make no mistake, I have loved the wonderful trips we have taken to places like London, Paris, and Rome, and oh, how lucky we were to have visited Tanzania when our daughter and husband lived there for a year, but travel is not my passion. 

However, I do love a good road trip, especially one not far away from home, one that means being away from home only a day or two or three. We have always loved exploring where we live, getting in the car on a Saturday morning, pulling out the map, and heading down country roads or city streets. Sometimes we plan where we are going to go, and sometimes we just go and see what we can see. 

Last week we nabbed our grandson Peter and drove to southwestern Minnesota for an overnight. We had two destinations in mind, the Jeffers Petroglyphs and Pipestone National Monument We had a hotel reservation for Wednesday night and knew Peter needed to be home by 5:00 on Thursday for his school open house, but that was the extent of our planning and the schedule. Our packing was light, no expensive airfare was involved nor delayed or cancelled flights. 

And yet in that brief vacation time I felt restored, seeing different scenery, especially the prairie, alive with diverse flora and the subtle waves of wind through grasses. I felt blessed as my awareness of special and unique nearby sites, places sacred to native peoples, expanded. I felt connected to those who have left their prayers, their carvings, their love of all creation. Plus, it was just plain fun to be with our grandson. 

Earlier this summer we visited a lavender and cherry farm lavender and cherry farm in Baraboo, Wisconsin (Trust me the lavender-cherry pie with lavender ice cream was well-worth the 6 hour round trip drive time.) and one Saturday morning we toured a Prairie School home built in 1913 located near one of the lakes in Minneapolis and now owned by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. (Purcell-Cutts House)We have gone to several art fairs, tried different restaurants, visited the new location of the Bell Museum of Natural History, created our own tour of garden nurseries outside the metro area, and attended West Side Story at the Guthrie Theatre and...and...and...

Still, there is lots more to do, to see, to learn, to discover and explore, and all it takes is an open and curious mind and a bit of time. 

Recently, we visited with a couple our age who said they aren't interested in retiring because it would be boring. How can any day be boring when there is always another book to read, interesting radio and tv programs for education and entertainment, lectures and concerts, many free, to attend, causes to support, ways to help, and people to get to know better, deeper? There is so much life to be lived—and much of it is right down the block. 

An Invitation

Is there some place in your hometown or state you have intended to visit, but haven't gotten around to yet? Now might be a good time. I would love to know what you discover.