Always Something to Look Forward To

Mylene2401 via Pixabay

Three weeks ago at this time, I was cautiously looking forward to our annual trip to the beach, one that would be twice as long as usual. I was apprehensive about leaving the cocoon of our home, a place where I felt safe from the virus that last spring changed life as we know it.

If my husband had any apprehension, he didn't voice it. He was thoroughly excited about the trip, as usual, so I decided to follow his lead and figure out what I needed to do in order to be as thrilled as he was. Establishing that and making the requisite preparations for our trip ushered in two weeks at the beach that were relaxing, if in a very different way than usual. It was a great vacation and while I wasn't looking forward to going home, I wasn't dreading it either.

We've been home for five days now and the only evidence of our trip is the brown bin that I used to transport and store my reading and working materials. I'm emptying it slowly and thoughtfully because I'm in the midst of doing some reorganizing and I want to put things away once.

Or maybe I just want to hang on to vacation.

I'm not sad to be home, though. Before we even left the beach, I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and watching television from a comfy chair. Once home, I looked forward to tackling a few projects and getting a massage.

Tonight, as I type this, I'm looking forward to having a Zoom meeting with my writers' critique group. We haven't seen each other since February and, when I was whining about that earlier this week, my daughter said she was surprised we hadn't had a Zoom meeting. 

Huh. Me too, now that you mention it.

So Zoom we shall -- at least some of us. It was a last-minute idea that might not fit into everyone's schedule, but still, I'm looking forward to seeing whoever shows up. Our agenda consists of two items: catch up with one another and set an agenda for August, provided we want to Zoom in August. 

The older I get, the more I believe that I am where I'm supposed to be. Whether that "where" is at the beach, at home, stuck in traffic, at a writers' meeting or taking advantage of a "get it done" day with colleagues (the thing I'm looking forward to doing tomorrow), there is always something to look forward to. 

Francine S0321via Pixabay

Some days, it's harder to see that than others but, if we can keep it in mind, we have the power to make ourselves happy. And, if we can savor those things when they arrive, we can nudge our happiness up another notch.  

We are where we are. If we can't go somewhere else, why not make where we are the place we want to be?