Ryan and I spent last week traveling to Oklahoma for a handful of speaking engagements, and while it was a wonderful period of respite, with no meals to prepare, laundry to fold, housecleaning, or children’s schedules to maintain, it was also exhausting because of all of the previously mentioned + work was put on hold for a week. There’s always a price to pay when mama takes a break 😉
I’m finding that the older I become, the less I enjoy the process of travel.
I love landing in a unique place and exploring new possibilities, but the process of getting from point A to point B, I’m not really into that experience anymore; particularly when the process involves airfare. Our travel plans went off without a hitch – no delays or surprises, but there’s something about airports and checkpoints and ears painfully popping and the complete loss of control while in the air that leaves me plumb worn out.
I’m also discovering that the older I get, the less interested I am in hotels or homes that are not my own.
Our first two nights at the Hampton Inn were uneventful, and then a slew of young high school students and their coaches checked in for the weekend. They were in town for a state wrestling championship meet. All 50+ high schoolers, and they practiced for their matches right above our room.
ALL NIGHT LONG.
We called the front desk three times begging for the noise to stop, but it never did. Finally, at around 3:00 am we drifted off to sleep for a few hours before rising the next morning to prep for our first event.
NOT FUN.
We opted out of the couple’s skill-building exercise in the afternoon (weight lifting) and opted into a nap, but before our nap, we asked the front desk to move us to the top floor which they graciously agreed to do.
I did sleep much better the following few nights but decided that I would rather travel via truck and trailer for any future events we might schedule. And so, in pure Jessica fashion, (jump in and do it), I convinced Ryan to send a text to a friend who had been toying with the idea of selling his travel trailer to see if he was still leaning in that direction. He was, and we set up a time to see it.
They say as you age, the neural pathways in your brain become deeply entrenched in whatever routines or rhythms you’ve adopted throughout your life and this makes it difficult to learn a new language as you get older or change a habit. And then tack on a firstborn, black-and-white personality and that’s simply a recipe for massive amounts of OCD all day long. I am definitely stuck in my ways at 45 years old.
My nightly rhythms are so entrenched in my psyche and the key to being able to successfully manage my life! (Magnesium, CBD, and stretch at 8:00, magnesium and CBD at 9:00, lavender cream and wild yam at 9:30, the Office from 9:30-10 and sound asleep until 6:00 am) at least that’s how it goes when everything is “normal”: my bed (softer), my special pillow (harder), my room darkening shades that cut every ounce of light, and my thermostat turned down low. My husband is also becoming very adept at his/our rhythms, but he’s not as crabby if something goes a bit off-kilter. In other words, he handles sleep deprivation much better than I do.
We saw the travel trailer this past weekend, and it is perfect. We will make this purchase in the near future, and then I will always be able to take my comfortable little space and routines with me wherever I go. And I will sleep peacefully as the little old lady that I am becoming and everyone will benefit. It’s the simple things in life, right?
Just keep livin.
If you enjoyed this and want to read more, I have a new book that was recently released Lovin with Grit & Grace and it’s ON SALE TODAY!
