I miss a lot about traveling. The feeling of not knowing where I’ll be next week. The sense of new and unknown right outside my door. The wonder of tasting a new food or seeing something I’ve only seen on the page of a book. The warmth of making a new friend. I even (sometimes) miss the bus/plane/van journeys, as I knew it would result in the arrival at an entirely new experience. However, there are a few things that I reflect on, almost daily, that I am so thankful to have back.
- Garbage Disposal
- I hate throwing food refuse away in a plastic bag. The thought of the dripping horrible food waste accumulating in the bottom of the bag, as well as the rank odor that soon follows, is not something I miss. It’s settling to this ol’ OCD mind to throw it down the drain, chop it into tiny pieces, and forget it.
- Hot Water
- I hate cold showers. Even in tropical climates, I just can’t do it. A cool shower when I’m overheated, yeah, but cold? No. It’s all I can do to keep my composure and not curl into a little ball and cry. Oh, and although the ‘splash room’ style of shower was nice at first, it’s nice to have my own little space again.
- Clothes Dryer
- This is a toss up. On one hand, it’s nice to air dry clothes. It just takes FOREVER. The sense of freedom that comes with washing clothes and knowing I can put them away the same day is great for me. Also, my clothes are less wrinkled. Speaking of clothes…
- Clothes
- I am a clothes horse. Yes, I admit it. I can survive on three shirts and two pairs of pants, and did without issue…but I am SO glad to have other choices. Throughout my marriage I have had more clothes than Indi in my closet, and it’s no different now than it was. I am, however, much more picky on what I will wear. I have a lot fewer t-shirts, which fills Indi with immeasurable joy and relief.
- Burgers
- Yeah, those that know me best knew this was coming. I am eating better now. I actually eat salads on a semi-regular basis and have a lot more variety in my diet…but nobody does a hamburger like the United States of America. If given a choice, I still always opt for a tasty meal at Brewburger or Goldie’s, perhaps a drive-thru at Whataburger or Wendy’s. Indi’s homemade burgers are to DIE FOR. I do recognize that I need to space ’em out a lot more, and rest assured that I don’t eat them as often as I used to.
- 24 Hours
- At any time of day or night, there are businesses open offering products that I might need, like toilet paper, tylenol, taco seasoning, or anything else that starts with the letter T. While traveling, most places (even the capital cities) closed down at a certain time and you would just have to wait until morning. There’s a sense of comfort knowing that if I have an emergency need, I can take care of it.
Those are the things that came to mind in the quiet of my morning coffee. I’m sure there are others, but it seems like it’s the little things that I missed the most. Also the OCD things. That’s just the way I am.
Rhys' Pieces 