The Death of An Idea

2 dudes rolling down the highway

Motorcycling. Thai restaurants. Green trees. Rivers. Daffodils. Tulips. Grand children. Winding roads. Grapevines. Cows. Fresh air. Hawks. Old houses. Antiques. Rodeos. Trips to the beach. Twelve minutes to get to work. 

These are just the itty bitty tip of the iceberg of things I am really grateful for but have taken for granted until this recent trip to Phoenix.

We traveled to Phoenix with the idea that perhaps we might move there after looking at the housing market hit almost rock bottom. I had a window of opportunity to take a week off from work so we piled in the car for a very long road trip that paid off in so many ways, I can hardly contain myself for the discoveries I made in a lot of areas of my life.

We spent 2-1/2 days getting there by way of Yuma. An old friend in Yuma asked if we would like to spend the night on his pull-out and we happily did so. Not because we love sleeping on hide-a-beds, but because we got each other's undivided attention. It was the most precious time I've spent with another human being in a really long time. After a brief visit with my aunt & uncle and cousins in Yuma, we drove up to Casa Grande where we were invited to spend a couple of nights with good friends we haven't seen in 3 years. We always feel so welcomed everywhere we go.  

We drove 211 miles around the Phoenix area on Tuesday just looking at some places we spotted on the internet and getting a feel for the place. We started out about 9:00 a.m. and by 2:00 p.m. I knew we would not be buying. I let out a big sigh and said, "you know what, Gene, I just can't see myself living here, can you?" He agreed. We continued on the journey up through Glendale, Peoria, Sun City and Surprise, looking for something that would change our minds but never found it.

We left Phoenix early Wednesday and on Thursday we traveled out to Pahrump, Nevada to briefly see a very good friend who is in the last stage of lung cancer. As long as I live, I will never forget the brightness of his beautiful blue eyes shining from a body that has been ruined by this horrible disease. It was really hard to say goodbye to him and his wife. 

The truth is it's hard to say goodbye everywhere we go.  When we started out on this trip Friday before last, I was telling Gene about how restless I get.  One of the things I love so much about Gene is that he gets me. It takes one restless soul to know another.  He calls it wanderlust.  Yeah ... I have it ... bad.  However, as much as I love going, I still love coming home. 

We are not moving to Phoenix, Arizona. We loved the journey there and all the wonderful surprises that came with it. The biggest surprise of all is that we really have it good, right where we are.  Sometimes it takes a good, long road trip to figure that out. 

I'm feeling so grateful.  love, susan