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It was a brutal winter, I know. And that made last Tuesday all the sweeter.
I might have already told you that any business trip that's eight hours or closer, I drive. The more I stay out of airports the happier I am. I have a white Honda Accord that I call the Ghost. I bought her new in 2012 and she already has 106,000 miles on her. Yeah well...I told you.
So it was last Tuesday...spring, sixty-five degrees, sunny and glorious...pulling out of my driveway at eight-thirty in the morning in the Ghost, beginning a six and a half hour trek to Traverse City, Michigan.
It began with the familiar dance with Chicago. If you time it just right then the traffic is manageable. I had a couple of squeezes, but made it through mostly unmolested.
Then over the Skyway into Indiana; along the Indiana Toll Road through Gary, and then north and east on 94 into Michigan.
Suddenly I could breathe. With miles of beautiful Michigan country ahead, I set my car-and my life-on cruise. No calls. No problem solving. Sun above. Cool spring air whipping by.
My sister and brother-in-law have a get-a-way cabin near Stevensville, Michigan that I take advantage of a few weekends a year; a pond, three acres. It's not far off the highway, so I wandered off and dallied by. Good thoughts.
Back to 94 and the 196 split toward Holland. From 196 I took the left off ramp onto 31. I wanted to go through Holland rather than bypass. I decided that I and the Ghost were going to take the long way today.
Holland was always a stop my family made when we vacationed at our cottage in Pentwater when we were kids. There was The Wooden Shoe Restaurant on the right (it's Holland, get it?).
I ate lunch outside in Holland. In the summer, sixty-five degrees might feel a little cool. Tuesday it felt perfect.
Done with lunch, I plopped back into the Ghost and sauntered further up the highway. Horses on one side, cows on the other, and roadside goats eating who knows what.
I made sure I pulled off the road as I neared Grand Haven for a look at Lake Michigan. In my mind's eye I saw the sailing trips we took as a family, up and down the coast and back and forth between the ports of Michigan and Wisconsin. I'm a horrendous swimmer...but love to sail.
Further up 31 and a side step to Pentwater. The old red barn built in 1857, still there as it was when I was a kid welcoming me back. And Pentwater Lake...the lake that never changes...or so it seems. The warm broth of memories.
Back to 31 and past Ludington, the Ghost and I spirited along. Then across to Route 37 and north to Traverse City. Just before I reached town, I spied a herd of buffalo.
Buffalo and tigers were my favorite animals growing up. I don't know why...I guess I just thought they looked cool.
I smiled when I saw them. What a treat.
Call me silly.
Tell me I wasted a perfectly fine work day. Remind me how many calls I could have made from my car. How many emails I could have checked on my stops.
And I will tell you that it's good to slow down. I'll tell you how much we miss when we don't. How burnt out we become.
I'll also tell you that the next two days were some awesome training days...one in Traverse City...one in Mt. Pleasant. Yeah, there was time for work. Work made better by taking some time to play.
That which creates a smile, creates a life.
And you wonder why I stay out of airports.
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