No, Really. I'm Having a Blast.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."   ... Galations 5:1

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Ha! A few of you don't believe me. You know, that I'm having a wonderful vacation alone.

But I am.

Hey--I'm the happy introvert, remember? I thrive on time alone, especially since God feels more real to me when I'm by myself and no amount of money or traveling elsewhere can buy that remarkable feeling of acceptance and love and communion.

Sometimes we need to remember that our own frame of reference isn't the same as other peoples'. What makes you happy might make me nuts. And vice versa. And that's ok. God did not take the easy, cookie cutter route when He created us and we make a mistake when we assume that if something wouldn't be good for me, then it certainly would be bad for you.

Anyway, it's pretty cool that, when I'm alone, I can go to bed at night and--in the morning--the living room and kitchen stayed tidy. Though--er hem--occasionally the cats will knock something over or spit-up. But still. :)

And I have the car to myself on weekdays.
I can start a big messy project anytime, even in late afternoon.
I don't have to make a real dinner and can just have ice cream if I want.
I don't need to make a sack lunch at 5:45 a.m.
I can get out of bed whenever.
I tend to sleep better when I'm here alone, which is weird, given that I sleep alone upstairs even when Tom's here. Hmm.
I get the tv and the remote all to myself.
Grace, also, is so here when I'm alone and it's like she sprinkles joy like fairy dust. Or something.

Heh. You get the idea.

You know the bucket list thing? Well, I have only one item on mine. I've already done everything else I've really wanted to do. 

What's on my list? Another train trip.

But here's the thing: do I care about the destination? No. I just want to lean back in a tiny train cabin and watch the world go by. Fields, decrepit parts of cities, rivers, mountains--doesn't matter. I rarely miss anyone or anything (God long ago healed me of that ache of always missing someone/something) but oh, sometimes I miss that watching the world go by from a train. (Hmm... perhaps that's partly why I love our new picture window so much?)

Which reminds me--I never did tell you something. Way back in 2010 when we returned home from, like, 6 days on the train, I took a nap that afternoon and oh! Remember that scene from The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy sits up after being hit by her window and sees all those people, animals and houses swirling past outside?

Well, when I awoke, it was exactly like that inside my poor old head. My brain felt heavy, but like it and my bed, even, were still speeding and I looked outside the window expecting to see the trees and meadow zipping past me out there. That still-traveling feeling took at least 3 minutes before fading away.

But yeah, even so--I still want to travel by train again. Yet in the meantime, today, while alone-but-not-alone, I would say, "Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here," except that, seriously, it feels like you are here. All of you. Indeed.

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So enjoyed this find:  The author, Jean Kerr's house which she wrote about in Please Don't Eat the Daisies. You'll see the best photos if you click on the link at the bottom. 

And for even more fun, here are some Jean Kerr quotes.

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                               I've wanted this type of daylily for years and years and finally I ordered a couple! How lovely to break away from indecision/lethargy/just thinking that wishing is akin to doing.