May 6, 2013: A Travel Day

This one was called "Playtime". I can relate.
Sometimes getting home is more of a challenge then getting there. This sure felt like the case yesterday. Starting with a positive reflection, it was a beautiful day in Dallas. And I was in no hurry to leave as my flight was at 1:00 with only a short drive to the airport. Garrett had work meetings, so I was solo for the morning.

Still not cleared to run, I enjoyed an hour of power walking. And I don't say that in jest. I really enjoyed it. Being a long-time runner/jogger/fast-mover, I have to admit that I have a history of looking down my nose at those burning calories the walking way. I was wrong and too quick to judge.

A walk allows more time to enjoy the sights and take in the scenery. I had run this loop before and never paid much attention to the artwork adorning the gardens. After a day of culture and trying to figure out the artistry behind the museum sculptures, the good ones were actually in these hotel gardens.

In retrospect, we could have instead enjoyed margaritas in the hotel garden, celebrating yesterday's Cinco De Mayo, while taking in the free art. The other great thing about walking is that you can easily take pictures of those things that catch your eye. I think even Garrett would have enjoyed these works of art (with some margs).
 
After my nice walk in the park, the rest of the day was more of a challenge. The negative side...I got lost trying to find the rental car drop-off (listening to the Google map lady rather than my inner good judgement was a bad idea). The positive side...a nice cabbie with broken English picked me out as a woman with a problem and waved me to follow him (purportedly I was driving around a cab lot...not Alamo).

The negative side...my plane had mechanical problems. After a wait and a gate move to a functioning plane, we left an hour late and I missed my connecting flight. The positive side...I read a great book in a very quiet part of the St. Louis airport terminal.

The negative side...my kids don't seem to care about my long day or need for a hug and simple conversation. Somehow I ended the night as the worst mom in the world and losing my cool a bit. Not good. The positive side...we ended some good conversation and takeaways. And a new day was right around the corner; one at home...always a welcomed reprieve.



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