Time is going by fast again this year. By counting down each week, it makes the year speed by, and I’m not sure I like the idea. Days, weeks, months, and yes, years already go by too fast. Do you ever get the feeling time is running out?
Anyway, we’re back with the Marketing for Romance Writers 52-Week Blog Challenge.
Week 10: Things only my family would understand.
Answer: I don’t like spur-of-the-minute invitations. I like to know where I’m going, what we’re doing, and who will be there.
This isn’t fun and takes the spontaneity out of life. Often, I get invited to dinner or to an event of some sort. I like to know well in advance so I have time to prepare.
However, when you have kids, you can’t let an issue like this rule your life. You have to be ready to get up and go, and I did in the past.
I do “get up and go” now when I have no choice or when my whimsy feels adventurous.
One New Year’s Day, a few friends and I hopped on a plane and flew to Chicago for the day with barely enough money to get back home. To be truthful, we didn’t have enough money for one of us to get back home. We never left the O’Hare airport once we got there, but back then, it didn’t matter. We were teens, and to us it was like going to the mall. We’d find something to do. Talk about spur-of-the-minute.
DISCLAIMER: I don’t advise teens to go flying off to Chicago or anywhere without having a plan and money.
This trip could’ve turned out bad for us, and it nearly did. All I can say is I’m glad we had a sense of smart. Another time, a friend and I packed a bag, hopped into a car with a couple guys we knew, and moved to Missouri. Huh? I left my mom a note. Every day while there, I had an unplanned event. It wasn’t a good three months. Bad things happened. I shudder to think of those days now. I didn’t mean to digress.
It isn’t so much about getting a call for a spur-of-the-minute activity, but it’s more about the not-knowing-what-to-expect part.
Here’s an example of one of those “not knowing” moments:
My youngest son sprang a surprise on me a few years ago. He and his wife, before they were married, had an outing planned for her mom and I for Mother’s Day. My son understands that I like to know in advance, so he gave me plenty of time, but then the “not knowing” aspect took over. The panic attack kicked in. I stressed over this for weeks because I didn’t know the details. Being Mother’s Day, I assumed I’d need to wear something nice, but my son and daughter-in-law are adventurous. It could’ve been bungee jumping or zip lining. LOL.
About a week before Mother’s Day, he told me we’d be seeing a special Mother’s Day performance from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Kirk in the Hills, a majestic, gothic-style church patterned after Scotland’s Melrose Abbey. We’d have dinner at an awesome place near there first. Why wouldn’t it turn out to be a fantastic evening? I had a date with my son for Mother’s Day. My crazy inner self had stressed for no reason. As usual.
Since I retired, I’ve become a half-ass recluse. My family understands this, but they don’t like it. I’m always being told I need to get out more. My friends tell me this, too. Yes, I need to get out more, take more breaks away from my computer, and take more vacations. Note to self: Read the Bucket List post again.
This is a blog hop, folks. Are you curious to see how other authors deal with only things their family understands? I am. Let’s visit them by clicking HERE.
Thanks for reading. See you next time.
Photo credits for first two images: Pixabay
Thank you for your visit today. ❤
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Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 
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