I get to go home tomorrow.
Hopefully.
Assuming the weather cooperates.
I’ve been on the road for five days. If all goes well I’ll get home late tomorrow evening.
Five days is probably peanuts to a lot of the “road warriors” out there that travel for their jobs, but I’m ready to go home. I drove to tonight’s stop for 2.5 hours through a mixture of blinding, white-out snow fall and slick dangerous roads, to short periods of sunny skies and clear roads. It would switch from one to the other about every couple miles, typical of Michigan or probably any other place in North America in the winter these days.
I’m in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for the night. My knuckles are still white from the two hour grip on the steering wheel as I tried to avoid sliding off icy roads. For dinner I ate a McDonald’s Southwest Salad and I’m drinking a cheap bottle of wine scored at the local Wal-Mart a ½ mile away. ( I suddenly wonder how often the word “wine” appears in my posts?!?)
‘Cause remember, work travel is a romantic and sophisticated thing!
The blood is slowly flowing back into my knuckles.
Not to get back on the local motel thing, but I’m in the most adorable little local motel I’ve ever stayed in. I may have to get on Trip Advisor and leave a five star review. Outside there is an epic snowstorm, crazy, blinding, accumulating snow… at least the last time I looked. In the back of my mind I’m thinking if there were anywhere to be stranded for an extra day this would be a fine place.
But I’m ready to go home.
I’m seriously ready to go home.
I want to sleep in my bed. I want to hug my wife. I want to see my kids. I want to see my goats.
In a few days I’ll have forgotten anything about this trip like so many before. The next one will be on the horizon to prepare for. This was a successful trip and the next one will be too.
That’s what I do.
The hardest part for me is the leaving, the walking out the door.
Sometimes I have to talk myself up, like Stuart Smalley.
“You’re good enough, you’re smart enough and doggone it people like you.”
Once I’m on the road though, literally five minute later, driving down the road, the salesman shows his big handsome face and I’m like “YEAH BUDDY LET’S GET THIS SHIT DONE!”
So I get it done.
Can you say “Jeckyl and Hyde?!?”
A loud dose of Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” through the car stereo helps. There isn’t a set of car speakers out there capable of playing this song at an adequate volume.
When I’m gone, I don’t think it’s easy at home. My wife definitely notices, suddenly a single parent for several days. My kids? With their crazy teenage lifestyles, sometimes I seriously wonder if they know I’m gone.
I hope they do. I really do.
But when the time comes I’m always ready to come home.
To sleep in my bed. To hug my wife. To see my kids. To see my goats.
I get to go home tomorrow.
Hopefully.
The Brown Road Chronicles 
Nothing says romance like McDonald’s Southwest salad and cheap WalMart wine. 🙂
I have been holding this back because it’s not goat-friendly, and you know I love the goats, except the one that tried to eat my daughter that one time. I don’t particularly care for him. Anyway. Since this is the second time you’ve planted Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” in my head, I’m going to tell you that you planted Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” in my head and there it shall stay all day, as will thoughts of cloudbursting and Ewan McGregor and George Clooney on the road in Men Who Stare At Goats. It’s probably the uncoolest thing in the world to say this, but I love that movie…except for the unpleasantness toward goats.
Travel safely and if you and the handsome salesman give cloudbursting a try, please let us know how that turns out. 🙂
You know, that film sounds vaguely familiar to me but I know nothing about. Guess I better see it! Rock on today!!
I know that feeling about family. I have had, or wanted to travel a lot of my life, but to see my three daughters lining up by the front door was beyond price. They are in their twenties now, and have homes of their own, but I still think of them as small people, standing at that door, and I wish I had spent more time with them than I did
The good thing about my gig is there’s times when I’m home a lot too and I work from my home office. So I get to see the kids more than the average 9 to 5’er.
“I want to hug my wife. I want to see my kids. I want to see my goats.” I’m glad to see these in that order. It is a lucky family who has a father willing to go out into the world a slay the dragon. They notice when you are gone. They do.
I thought about putting the goats first but…. nah just kidding! Love the dragon slaying reference though. I’ve never felt so princely! 🙂
I don’t think I could live an “on the road” lifestyle, and I don’t even have goats.
Well I think you need to get some goats!
I get my wife’s goat pretty often. Does that count?
What an awesome outlet for you to have while you’re on the road: writing. Yep, it’s gotta be tough, especially just before leaving. That’s what it’s like for my husband, especially before he starts his week of night shifts (7 twelve hr. nights, a week off, 7 twelve hr. days, a week off, repeat). During his work week he’s gone 15-16 hrs/ day. And at times, he is literally gone the entire week. He’s on a local ferry boat that sometimes has to go to shipyard (south) or work a run away from home. It was really tough when he was working when our son was very little, as our son as “issues.” But handling a 12 yr. old solo is a piece of cake compared to the infant/ toddler years. I’ve gotten used to being a single parent 60+% of the time, and we sure love it when the hubby comes home. Have a safe drive, and may your fingers have adequate blood flow by now.
I can’t imagine working nights like so many people do. So foreign to me. I’ve known couples who for years one works days, one works nights. How does that work?!?! I don’t think I could have done this when mine were little. I had a regular job back then. Now that they’re older and somewhat self sufficient its easier being gone sometimes.