6 Road Trip Ornaments and How I Hope to Keep it Simple
6 Road Trip Ornaments and How I Hope to Keep it Simple
Life is full of situations. Some recent car travel brings to mind 6 road trip ornaments and how I hope to keep it simple. Below is a story that could be illustrated by including our cell-phone ornament, our selfie girl ornament, and even the burger ornament. Of course, the other relevant ornaments to the story would be our BFF ornament, the farm ornament and the suitcase ornament that reflect little parts of my road trip. Here’s what happened:
Selfie Girl Takes Some Photos:
I did it. I “over-cowed”. Yup. I had what I thought was THE brilliant idea during a 2600 mile drive to text a friend a photo of a cow from every state I visited. “Surely, she will love this idea,” I thought. “Who wouldn’t?” And so, it started. FL, GA, SC, NC, and the list went on. Some states had so many cows that more than one photo was necessary. Certainly, she just had to see the cows by the mountain and the ones at sunset. I knew she’d appreciate the cows with the calf, and also the cows near the barn. Who would want to miss those? I was having a great go at it until the time between her return texts got longer and the responses in her texts got much shorter. Eventually, it occurred to me that I might have “over-cowed”.
Burgers with a Friend:
What I did after over-cowing, was over-thinking. I wondered how I was going to correct the mess I made. I tried a friendly text without a cow photo a few days later. A lukewarm response came back. Uh-oh. I waited a few days and tried again. The responses were a little more friendly, but still not the same as the texts before the cows. What to do? One day, I left work early for some personal appointments. I finished those appointments nearly at the same time my friend would be leaving work nearby. I texted her. “Any chance you’d be up for an appetizer?” Immediately, she responded “Sure!”. I was shocked, but quite relieved that I could see her in person and spill the beans.
The Universe Has Many Parts:
We met, and after a brief hello, I confessed. “Full disclosure," I said. "I am so glad you agreed to appetizers. I was afraid I had over-cowed. My apologies if I sent too many texts of the cattle that I passed. It was just silly me having fun.” Turns out those cow photos kept her grinning through some challenging days she was having. Turns out the cow photos made her smile. Go figure, the lapses in our communication had nothing whatsoever to do with me. I am not the center of the universe, and sometimes these little reminders are just what I need to get back on track. I ordered a delicious burger, she had a steak, and now it occurs to me as I write, that neither one of us mentioned the cows again as we ate.
Later, I told the story when visiting with a group of dear friends I meet on a regular basis. The following week, one friend quietly presented me with a new shirt decorated with a graphic of a Scottish cow. As a matter of fact, she loves cows, too! How moo-ving! I shall wear it proudly and with it receive the subtle reminder to stop overthinking. I may even allow my mind to step back and slow down. Well, maybe.
Road Trip Ornaments Tell a Story:
In conclusion, as I have previously admitted in other blog posts, I frequently see my life in the ornaments that people order. As I pick them from the shelf, personalize them, and prepare them for shipping, chapters of my life play out in stories. At times, I find myself standing in awe at how the paragraphs come together. Finally, I hope the words will bring relevance, some insight, and perhaps even a smile.
Dear reader, I ask you: When was the last time you took a road trip? Also, do you like cows? Lastly, is there something that could be settled with a few minutes of open conversation? Please, grab a cup of tea and share your thoughts in the “Sitting and Sharing with Sunny Girl” comment section below: