I'm currently riding on a bus with our college basketball team heading to an away basketball game. These trips have become routine over time for me. I usually sit in the same spot, listen to the same music, and sleep the same way. I have actually come to enjoy the mini getaways that get me out of my office. Come to think of it, I never really have minded road trips much, especially if I'm not driving. Growing up, I would look forward to vacations in our minivan where I could get lost in my own "battlefield" with my GI Joes and Batman action figures for hours at a time. While my brother sat in the middle seat complaining about homework and finding some of the most uncomfortable looking positions to sleep in, I would be in the back seat in my world of imagination. I still wonder what happens to us as we mature that takes those things we used to dream up as children and convinces us that they aren't possible.
Anyhow, our van trips accounted for some of my favorite memories. One year, before the years of portable DVD players, dad made our van the most high-tech vehicle ever assembled. He connected a VCR to a TV that had, as I recall, a screen that was about 4 inches wide so that we could watch movies on our way to Virginia to visit my grandparents. We used an AC power adapter that fit into the cigarette lighter to keep us running all the way down the road. Technology has come so far since then. The ratio of equipment size to the actual size of the screen was at least 10:1.
One of the most vivid memories I had about our family road trips was reading. Mom always "encouraged" us to participate in the summer reading program each summer at our public library. I don't remember ever really having a problem with it because I got to choose the books that I read, and getting rewards like a free ice cream were a pretty big deal to me at that point in my life. My brother Brad was not so compliant. I'm still not sure if he actually ever read an entire book all those summers, but I do know that he heard plenty of them. My mother deserved the "Summer Reader of the Year" award for all the books she read to Brad all those years. Dad finally wised up and got him some headphones while I was, of course, tech savvy with my portable cassette player. There are only so many adventures that I can hear about the boxcar children going on before I lose interest. Mom never did get that trophy, but I know that she would have sacrificed many trophies to make sure my brother got those ice creams.
I am so grateful for those road trips. Spending time fighting with Brad, hearing Mom’s Southern Living recipes, or listening to Dad’s "oldies" music are things just parts of what made the trips memorable. However, those trips wouldn't have happened if we didn't have a destination. I don't know many people that drive around aimlessly and call it a vacation. I am lucky for the sacrifices that my mom and dad made for us to be able to go on those vacations. We always looked forward to summers or the holidays when we could get away. I wish I could have appreciated those times in the van more as I was going through them. I may not be able to go back to those family trips, but what I have learned is to enjoy the trips that I go on now while I'm on them. No trip ever goes exactly according to schedule. Many things happen on trips that you cannot control. Getting frustrated or impatient makes you appreciate the good parts of your trip much less.
As I look forward to 2012 and what may be in store for me, I am reminded to think about my ultimate destination, but I am also trying to enjoy the trip while I'm on it and make the most of each moment. Too many times in life we try to look forward to what’s next whether it be a vacation, a job, a family, or a spouse, instead of making the most of the present moment. Life is meant to be enjoyed and shared with others. Don't let something you have no control over get in the way of the trip you are on now. Make 2012 a year of "I did" rather than another year of "I wish I would have." You may never have the chance again...
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