Tripping

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick signed an executive order today banning discrimination of transgender State workers there (details here).  The article specifically mentions he did this "quietly" which I'm sure will be an additional source of consternation to those who oppose it.  Still - it was the right thing to do and kudos to Gov. Patrick for his leadership.

As I write this it's late afternoon in Harrisburg and the temperature is a sunny 61 degrees.  The funny thing is that the river outside the office is still frozen over from one shore to the other, but people are running along the jogging path in shorts and tank tops.  Too funny.  Tomorrow it's scheduled to get into the mid-60's here which is pretty good for late February.  Today was the first day I actually noticed that the trees have buds on them so there actually IS hope for spring.

I'm taking active steps to bring my life into more balance.  That concept - Balance - is a key one and moving here and taking this job and immersing myself in everything have taken a toll on my overall balance.  It's time to reclaim some of that.  And I will.

I've shared a sense of loneliness in recent posts.  I'm not sure that the traditional definition of "lonely" applies in this case - it's kind of hard to explain.  In any event - I remember feeling similarly a few years ago and the answer wasn't to find new relationships.  It was to find opportunities for familiarity, and comfort, and belonging.  I found those things in my puppies which is actually one of the reasons I felt compelled to get them in the first place.

Maggie and Cody

So - here we are - 4 years later.  And, I'm headed down to Texas this weekend to get my dogs.  They have lived in Austin with my son for the past year or 18 months - since we left Rochester - and it's time to get them back into my life because of a number of changes in his life.  The logistics of it all make the trip extra complicated, partly due to cost, partly due to time, and partly due to the fact that getting two mid-sized dogs across the country isn't as easy as you'd think.

The dogs have traveled with me before.  They've driven across country more than once.  And the woman that I live with assures me that she's fine with having them here.  But the one thing that having dogs in your life requires is making the time to be with them.  And, I will.

In the short term that may mean driving from here to Austin this weekend, picking them up, and then driving them back early next week.  It's a 1,600 mile drive.  Each way.  And I'm not looking forward to it.  In fact, I'm dreading it.  But it may mean that I can spend at least part of my birthday next week with my mom, which would be nice.

I'm a road warrior.  Anyone who has followed my travels for any length of time will know that for me to hop into my car and drive 650 miles or more for a weekend and then back again isn't that big of a deal.  And that's just the trips that I choose to mention here.  But driving 3,000+ miles with dogs, risking winter weather, and other hazards of the road make it quite the ordeal.

I haven't finalized the logistics yet and some of the details may change.  But at the moment that's what I'm looking at.  Uuuuuggghhhhh.

I miss my babies.  But they will require a lifestyle change.  More than that, they will force one.  And, for that I'm glad.  I suspect it's just one of several that are on the horizon....