Breaks

This morning, I made breakfast and lunch for The Boy, had my breakfast, read the news, watched the latest Tina Fey-Sarah Palin spoof several times, planned out the meals I will be making in the next two weeks, drew up a shopping list for this week, talked briefly to The Man, exchanged a few e-mails, and made lunch. I have yet to shower and dress. Most mornings are pretty much like this.

That's why I go away. My routine is completely different when I am not home. This weekend for example. I woke up and immediately got washed and dressed. I went into the eating area of the B&B for breakfast. I didn't have to cook or clean up. It was literally a eat-and-run. By 9 AM, we are out of the B&B, ready for a day of physical stimulation and mental expansion.

We negotiated our way past road signs looking for turns and exits. We strolled along to look at shops. We picked up the pace to hike trails. I talked to everyone I saw and sometimes called out to people who didn't see me to find out what they were doing. We ate whatever we had in the car.

My friend backed into a car parked in the middle of the street. The couple who owned the car said, "We shouldn't have been parked there. It's just a scratch. Let's not fuss about it." We said okay.

I went into a store to see if I left my eyeglasses behind. I found them sitting on the counter. When I picked them up, one of the arms fell off. I looked around for the missing screw. The store owner asked what I was looking for. When I explained I had come to retrieve my glasses to discover one of the arms had come off, he said, "Come, I can give you something for that." He took an eyeglass repair kit off his shelves and gave it to me. "You can just have that. No need to pay for it," he said. "Oh no," I said, "I am buying this water so I will pay for both." "No," he said, "I'll charge you for the water, but not the repair kit. You have a good day."

I went to the harbour and saw about 30 ducks swimming. I walked to the edge of the dock and called out, "Hey guys, what's up?" All the ducks swarmed to me and swam alongside as I walked along the dock. I wasn't even feeding them.

These things don't happen in the city. That's why I go away.