April 07, 2005
THE ROAD, NOT TAKEN
Four months ago, I introduced you to Scotty and Eileen at Home Sweet Road. They were about 165 days away from embarking on a 365-day road trip to... who knows where.
The goal was to soothe their souls after a devastating loss of twin babies during induced labor. Being on the road, they found, brought them a peace they had been unable to find. Following that peace, they decided a road trip was in order.
They started getting equipped. They saved money. They prepared for the venture.
Then something changed.
The prospect of packing up our life, of leaving our friends and our city, has changed us profoundly in ways we never expected. Turns out we have a pretty good life here in the nation's capital. We've just had a hard time seeing it through the mist of depression and heartbreak.And now I must sheepishly report the following: there will be no year-long road trip.
There are many reasons for our decision, and many of them are good and reasonable ones. But really, it all comes down to a simple change of heart. In preparing for the trip, it was impossible not to notice the signs: the procrastination on trip-related tasks, the sentimental clinginess to old routines, the fact that both of us seemed more focused on life before and after the trip (and not the trip itself).
Of course, there were some practical concerns. My master spreadsheet revealed some shocking, if obvious, truths: little things cost a lot when you buy them for 365 days. This trip was going to be expensive, real expensive, and we'd be stealing from the future to escape the past. Career momentum was another concern, as were the staggering logistics of packing a houseful of possessions on ice for a year.
But again, it isn't about that stuff. It's about this: we're excited again about our future here in D.C. Five months ago, excitement seemed impossible. But the psyche heals, and while time is probably the better part of the cure, I think planning this trip helped a lot too. It forced us to take a long look at our life, to contemplate saying goodbye to it, and to expend huge quantities of time and energy in doing so. And when it came down to it, a lingering reluctance permeated our household. We were stalling. And for no justifiable reason.
Sometimes you have to see a sign for a sign, and this one was neon and blinking.
There will still be trips, Scott reports. Only they won't require a year's devotion to the road. And then there is the residual photo bug being purged at Scott's auxilliary backup photoblog, Straymatter.
Between that one and Home Sweet Road, I can guarantee there will be plenty of thoughtful posts, road trips or no. Posted by Jeff at April 7, 2005 08:05 AM