Those of you who know me well know that planning is in my DNA. I’m good at it. In fact, it’s one of my super powers. But the reason I’m so good at it? It helps me manage my mind. And emotions.
So it might surprise you that with less than a week’s planning, I boarded a plane and flew to Florida for a few days last week. Where I spent three days with no set plans in a place that demands that you begin planning months in advance: Disney World.
Though I would never do a last minute trip with family to Disney World (unless I had secured a club level room to cover most of our meals) I barely hesitated when a girlfriend asked if I could meet her for a few days with “I have a two-bedroom at one of the Marriot Resorts nearby….”
Even if you know me pretty well, you possibly wouldn’t know that I spent eight weeks at Disney World between October 2020 and February 2022. Though I have written about my life publicly for more than twenty years, I chose to keep my travels pretty much to myself. Because, in all honesty, today’s audiences tend to be more judgmental than supportive. And I just didn’t have the energy - nor the desire - to justify my well-thought out choices to strangers on the internet.
Strangers, that in all honesty, I would have considered internet friends years ago. People are so quick to condemn rather then connect which is one thing I’ve missed greatly about my early days of blogging.
Because, trust me, the mental gymnastics JB and I went through before I committed to each and every trip wasn’t half-assed. Carefully weighing the timing of a trip with any plans to see family members that didn’t live in our home. Ensuring that I would have the ability to quarantine after a trip if I were to get sick before we saw anyone else.
And in all those weeks in the “germiest place on earth” (wink, wink) I never got even a sore throat or runny nose.
Disney saved me in many ways.
And while it never could erase the regret I have for the need to cancel an April 2020 trip to Europe, it soothed my travel-starved soul.
Because travel has always saved me.
In fact, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without having traveled as part of my self-development post divorce. Because it helped me unleash who I really was at my core…rather than who I thought I needed to be so others might love me.
But I digress as I often do here.
So about last week….
In the scant week before the trip, my friend asked what my “must dos” were and I had two items on my list: Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (which, I confess, I rode 5 times one day in February 2021 since I was all by myself) and the new Guardians of the Galaxy Rewind (because it’s a new ride that has opened since I was last there in February).
She had only one thing on her list: dinner at Capa, a Michelin Rated restaurant at The Four Seasons. Which we chose to do on our last night as a way to bookend her summer as she had eaten there in June with her family.
We accomplished my goals during our first full day together (last Sunday). We had her one thing to look forward to all week.
And the rest of the time, we were mostly “Ladies Who Lunch”.
We got up and going when we woke up, had perfect lattes in the mornings, and then headed out to the parks. Yes, we rode more than just those two rides, including the Carousel pictured above which is a sentimental favorite of mine. We ate food from the Food & Wine Festival booths at Epcot. We met another girlfriend one day for coffee. And hung out with a family she knows another day, which was the day our main goal was to ride as many rides as possible.
But mostly, we just hung out and chatted about life. And had the kinds of conversations that come easier when you are face to face with cups of coffee.
We didn’t stay up for fireworks and, even on out last night’s dinner, we were back at the hotel and showered well before 7 PM each night.
It was a much needed break. Especially now that we’re back to the old new routines of JB teleworking every day as he teaches some virtual classes without any in-stone plans for in person time in the office until October or later.
On Wednesday evening, I was home.
JB had done all the laundry, put fresh sheets on the bed, and we settled back into our regular life. Which, in all honesty, a contrast to the excitement of travel is where real life happens.
The rest of the week was the “boring normal” which is ripe for all other kinds of beauty if you’re open to it.
I went to the grocery store, stocked up on fresh fruit and veggies, and chatted with my favorite cashier. And then unapologetically let my OCD-ness out when I was putting back my cart. (Seriously, who puts the little short carts back in front of the big carts??)
I grilled a variety of deliciousness - from chicken to pork tenderloin to steak. I am grateful for our grill every single time I use it.
I also got back to tracking my Macros which has helped me stay focused I am getting enough protein to support my workouts.
I got back to my workouts. While I did a strength workout my first afternoon in Florida (the day before I met my girlfriend), I didn’t do formal workouts while at Disney World. We were averaging 17,000 steps a day which definitely gave my body some movement.
And I’ve finally begun thinking about writing again.
The break from writing for work has been a good thing for me. But with my return to the newsletter coming in a month, I am finally feeling the urge to start preparing for the remainder of the year.
All in all, a reminder that “running away from home” can be a good thing.
Especially when it allows you to connect with friends. And on a deeper level with yourself.
As an extrovert, I need things outside me to refill the creative well.
But most importantly, running away from home always triggers feelings of gratitude and joy at the prospect of going back home. And settling into life in what is truly is my sanctuary. Because while running away from home stretches you, returning home allows all your new growth to settle in around you in all kinds of delicious ways.
What about you? Do you ever run away from home? And how do you reconnect to your daily life and the beauty of ordinary moments?
This brought back so many great Disney memories for me! Those years when my son lived in Winter Park and I could just drive over to Disney for lunch, a ride on the monorail, and a afternoon of people watching. Many solo trips at Old Key West felt like home away from home. And in those days, you never had to plan a thing, just show up. (Which was great for me, because, unlike you, I do not love to plan!!)
Those trips gave me confidence, and also an opportunity to let my daily anxieties go and just play. Magical experiences indeed.
I’m so glad you’ve found the magic, and can take advantage of it!