Saturday, December 15, 2012

Slice of Heaven

I am experiencing a little slice of heaven. I'm on a train headed to Boston to spend time with some of my favorite women, to have a bachelorette weekend to celebrate Joni finally tying the knot with my Dad this coming spring. I'm in a quiet car. There is no sound but the hum of the air system and the rattle of the train on the tracks. I have two seats all to myself, a good book and a bag full of goodies to munch on. And my husband put brownies in my bag. Need I say more?

It's really nice to have a little peace and quiet. Whenever I spend an extended amount of time on a train, it always brings me back to my early twenties when spent time traveling Italy and Spain. Even with all of the awe inspiring places that I visited, some of my favorite moments were spent on trains and buses, getting to where I needed to go. Some of the most important friendships in my life were made on those trips, drinking wine, telling stories and laughing until the wee hours of the morning.

It was also where I did a lot of reflecting on myself and who I wanted to become. Maybe that's why whenever I am on a train, I relish the quiet and solitude. It's kind of like my opportunity to check in on myself and see what's going on underneath all of the hustle and bustle.

During that time of travel in my life, I was truly fearless. I took a lot of risks, and sometimes I shake my head at some of the decisions that I made... But those lessons got me where I am today.

I sometimes wonder where that head strong person went to. It is amazing to me how much being a Mom has changed me. I have become more mellow. Things that used to get me anxious or worked up just don't bother me as much anymore. I find myself appreciating the little things. Staying in bed to cuddle longer and doing things only to make my family happy.

That impulsive, live-in-the-moment person is still in there somewhere. Every so often I feel her rise up and make me do things that I wouldn't normally have the courage to do. Believe it or not, that is one of the things that I like about myself. I have the ability to surprise myself at times. That can be good and that can be bad but mostly it keeps life vibrant and fun. I'm always looking for the next adventure and the next train ride to get me there.

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