Musings

So, many of you who know me know I've been on a roadtrip through much of the northern central part of this country. And, as a result, I've had some interesting experiences as well as some thoughts that have occurred to me.

• I failed to get a picture of this because I just wasn't ready for it, but I can describe it. My sister and I were at Mount Rushmore and we overheard a group of women (who appeared to be from one family) talking. One of them says, "I'm so embarrassed for him." To which a younger one (probably her daughter) replies, "Hey! He's doing it for a whole buck." Suffice it to say that this exchange piqued my interest, so I'm looking around to see somebody doing something stupid. Next thing I know, I hear "Mary had a little lamb" being sung at very high volume and decidedly off-key. The girl had dared her little brother to go over to a short wall in front of the monument and do this. There were easily 200+ people around, just giggling at how brash he was. REALLY funny.
• I'm so glad I've gone on this trip. I've often said over the years that I'd like the chance to go to the UP or out west to places where there's just so much open country, relatively untouched by humans. And I was right: I really have enjoyed that chance. Seeing such wide expanses of rolling grassy hills in South Dakota was so AMAZING for someone who grew up in a city and has always lived within an hour of that city. It's an entirely new experience for me and it really makes me want to visit Ireland. My sister and mom went several years ago and my sister has assured me during this trip that, while the landscapes in South Dakota HAVE been very interesting, they're nothing compared to Ireland in the summer. And, for the first time, I really have a true yearning to see it.
• I'm becoming much more adventureous in life. And I really like it. For years, I've allowed my weight to be an excuse for not getting out there and experiencing things. It's part of the reason I didn't really even try to get tickets to Super Bowl XL, despite the fact that 1) it was held in Detroit, not more than an hour away from home and 2) my favorite team was playing in it (and ended up winning it). I just assumed that I would be too uncomfortable in the seat and didn't even really consider it. And that's a mistake. I missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. That's why I'm really happy I found the motivation to be serious about losing weight: there's so much I've been missing.