Next Stop: A 3-day Driving Adventure

I am writing from my sister's apartment in downtown Chicago. Last Friday, my husband called me from work to share that his company was looking for someone to drive a car from Chicago back to Boston. He knew how much I wanted to visit my sister, and I've asked him to consider me next time an interesting trip arose. His company pays for the flight, accomodations and also a generous amount for the hours spent driving. I took him up on this immediately. I have two more months of being able to be truly spontaneous and just "up and go". So, here I am...

When Joe told a co-worker, the co-worker seemed puzzled that Joe would "let" his wife make this drive 7 months pregnant. His co-worker clearly has not met me, and does not know my hunger for either an adventure or a challenge! Nor does he appreciate that there is no "letting" me do or not do anything, unless that allowing comes from me.

I begin my drive at 3pm-ish today, and am headed for Cleveland. Tomorrow's drive will be about 8 hours to the Albany area, and then a shorter (5 hours?) drive home on Wednesday. I have stocked up on books-on-cd, old coaching skill cds, ipod music, and a fully charged cell phone. We are headed to Whole Foods to stock up on healthy (and some just plain delicious) snacks and water. And then I'm off!

It may sound crazy to say that I am looking forward to this time on the road alone. Ever since having started on my own professionally, I have had an abundance of me-time, and can even feel isolated on some days. Yet, this adventure is tapping into a nostalgic part of me - the Erin who drove around Ireland alone for 6 days looking for a place to get married, the Erin who headed off to Costa Rica for a 3-week volunteer experience to live with strangers, the part of me that I must continue to honor long after little children want all of my attention. This journey is honoring an important value of mine - adventure.

So, here goes!