Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Pause the Spin Cycle


How many sayings about traveling can you think of? Do most challenge you to celebrate the journey?

My brain is loaded with a rangy assortment of bygone songs. This means musical clichés may attack at any moment, including that old Mac Davis song, the one where "you got to STOP ... and smell the roses." I’ve wasted space on that for 38 years. Perhaps if you are of another era, you can hear “The Climb." Thirty-five years from now, remember this: if you don’t want it in there anymore, they don’t make a scrub. It’s sticking.

I know those songs are big metaphors for life’s journeys, but I can’t connect. If my life were a Bugs Bunny map, it would look like a technical illustration in an appliance brochure. “The Washing Machine Spin Cycle”. STOP ... ping to smell the roses, or to say hi to a friend and admire his bees (that’s not a metaphor; I live in the country; I have more than one beekeeper friend) sets my internal dial whirring. This is a shame. I like the roses, and I’m fascinated by bees.

So I’m trying. Whenever I can, I’m pausing the spin cycle, allowing more time, a little cushion, some space to enjoy whatever comes along, including the detours. For instance, if heavy equipment blocks your usual path (again, not a metaphor, looks like someone needed work done on their septic field), you might take the less-direct lakeside route, and find this guy standing in a neighbor’s yard.

Sandhill crane.

To my fellow road warriors, I say, leave a few minutes early when you can. Take a different route, mix it up, re-engage with your surroundings. I’d love to hear what you find.
For a slightly less positive, but more amusing bird encounter during my non-taxi season, consider this turkey

9 comments:

  1. Pretty much how I like to take my rides and drives -- the long way, the scenic route. Whichever way you look at it, I like to slow down and be able to notice things around me. And I'm one of those who does like that old Mac Davis song. ;-)

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    1. :) Mac Davis stays with you, that's for sure. I remember singing the chorus of "It's Hard to Be Humble" repeatedly, at full volume, with my family. Your comment reminds me that one of the things I love about vacation is taking the long way. Maybe I'll have to declare "mini-vacations". Thanks for stopping by, Jackie!

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    2. Had a boyfriend in college who loved to sing that song, Hard to Be Humble. And he wasn't!

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  2. Yup. I have to remind myself to stop the spin cycle, even to get out of the tub sometimes! I get caught up in work and now home renovations, and find I can be within these four walls for days without stepping outside to even glimpse a rose or a bee, let alone admire it. Must (try to) change that.
    Great to read your musings again, Laurie.

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    1. Lisa, I hear you. Home renovations all by themselves can be overwhelming, and then add work ... hope you get some time to breathe some fresh air. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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  3. Thanks, Laura, for a great reminder. And I gotta tell you, the whole thing about singing the chorus to the Mac Davis song...just makes me wonder all the more if somehow your dad and mine aren't related. Seriously, my dad loved that song and he used to tell us it was written just for him. Makes me smile to think of other families experiencing the same thing.

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    1. Mac Davis was on our turntable ... and TV ... and radio. Now if you listened to a lot of Kris Kristofferson too, it might be time to start asking questions :). Hope you *enjoy* wherever the road takes you and yours today!

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  4. I love this post. :)

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