Traveling Lessons

   It felt good to be back home this morning, in some kind of a routine, and to have time to think and reflect, both on the Scriptures that I read, and also on what has transpired over the past few days.

   First the travel: Starting out in GA, going to SC, NC, back to SC and GA, on to TN, then AR, then MS, then AL and back to GA. 9 Days of being on the road, visiting with people that are family and friends, battling weather, making decisions on what to do, when and how, and just meandering through the ebb and flow of getting from place to place.

   But what do we have to show for those days? Were there any lessons learned, any insights into the world we live in?

   The first I knew...Relationships are the most important thing in the world of travel. The people that we go to see are important to us, and they are the ones that make the trip worthwhile. We live far from most of our family, and it is always good to catch up with their lives. Retirement is great and living in a warm place (relatively speaking) is a definite perk, but we do miss our kids and grand kids growing up, and during the school year it is easier for us to go there than for them to visit here.

   Retirement also takes us away from the friends that we lived around in the first 60 or so years of our lives. Rekindling old ties and remembering the past with them is always good, especially when some of them are older and not in good health.

   Another lesson brought home from this trip...Prudence, especially in travel and the flexibility it entails is important, especially in the winter. We tried to listen when weather warning were posted and erred on the side of safety when deciding when and where to go. We got caught once in AR, but made it okay after a short delay, but did not want to make that same mistake again, and so we came home a day early in order to miss another approaching winter storm.

   And I did ask directions and actually turned around kind of early yesterday, when realization came that we were not on the right road. Prudence strikes again.

   One more thing, the importance of a smile or of concern. In the course of these 9 days, we interacted with a bunch of people. There were those that waited on us in places to eat, in stores, at gas stations. A lot of times folks in these jobs are maligned, but we met a lot who were quick with a smile, with help when we needed it, and wanted to get it right, for us.

   Then there was that couple who saw us on the side of the road in rural SW Georgia, and slowed enough to yell and ask if we were in trouble. Even though it was just a stop on the side to take a shot of an old building, they did not know that, and their willingness to be available to help was a bright spot. I am thankful that there are people like that. The world needs them.

   I'm sure there are more things that I could have learned, or ones that I can't think of right now, and may not again, but time on the road is never wasted when there is a good companion to travel with and good remembrances from others along the way. Ofttimes it is not the destination, it is the journey that counts, and when that journey is filled with caring others, it is more the better.