What to do when you’re stuck in a rut—

Pack a bag. Let’s go!

“Where are you going this summer? Any travel plans?” I asked my friends. dental hygienist, and a checker at the local supermarket.

Hawaii. Visit family in Oregon. Just hanging out.

Not all of us can, or want to travel the world. Exotic locales don’t necessarily define the value or reward of packing a bag and leaving home for a few days or weeks.

Instead, a change of scenery, a new perspective, a chance to explore: travel has a way of pulling us out of the deepest rut. Whether far away to new cultures and languages, or closer to home, exploring the world expands our lives. And would you believe, can make us healthier?

Every trip, regardless of distance, inspires me, teaches me something new, and often reminds me that we have more in common than we realize or admit. We never come home totally the same.

I took a virtual vacation this week as I helped a family member sort through photos and prepare them for a photo book to remember the sights and time spent together in Arizona.

Since I didn’t take the photos, I wanted to understand what cherished memories each image contained. I asked two important questions.

“What is important to you in this image? What do you want to remember?”

The answers took me on a virtual adventure through snow, the Painted Desert, and the Grand Canyon. The captured scenes carried me to striking places I had never been, but the stories of the trip, that’s where the magic happened.

Conversations, unexpected stops when the rental car needed repairs, gazing at the magnitude and glory of a canyon and being brought to tears. Life time dreams realized and relationships nurtured by nothing more than the presence of people we love.

I saw nieces, spouses, amd grandchildren sitting around the table, learning together, sharing the experience.

And the rocks, cacti, and snow?

They wait for you or me to step into the scene, in awe of nature and one another.

Because . . .

There’s a lot to see along Route 66

Sing along with Nat King Cole as you [Get Your Kicks] on Route 66.

Words to travel with.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
—Saint Augustine

“The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.”
—Shirley MacLaine

I always welcome your thoughts, so please leave a comment

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And always—

Be kind. Be brave. Be you.

All photos used with permission.