[stylist] Joy Ride-a quck look at my road trip

[KajunCutie926 at aol.com]

I think this is my first poet here so I do hope I'm  doing it correctly... 
I'm still operating on fumes alone I think....and yep I  didn't do it right 
the first time.. so here goes again...
 
Since you all gave me the idea to put this to paper  last night I decided 
to just jot down some quick thoughts... it's meant for fun  mostly and will 
likely be one of those things that I keep for my enjoyment and  memory 
only... I do not write much else but poetry so this is a stretch and a  very rough 
and rusty one at that..
Myrna
 
Joy Ride

It began on a Monday.  "Of  course, it would be a Monday," I mumbled as I 
crawled into the backseat of a  very comfortable car just after midnight, 
knowing that 'comfortable' was really  relative to the length of the ride.  
After about an hour of the expected  twelve hour trip I understood the truth of 
this knowledge and actually  considered kicking myself a good swift one in 
the posterior for even considering  the journey... but realized immediately 
that not only was there not enough room  for the maneuver, I likely would 
not have been able to move either knee to  accomplish it anyway.  They were 
already suffering from 'bent knee'  syndrome.  

My grandchildren, ages thirteen and eight, shared my  cocoon of torture but 
were snoozing blissfully which was a good thing I  suppose.  I found myself 
looking forward to our first scheduled pit stop  with the enthusiasm I once 
thought was only warranted for those very special  occasions... and quickly 
moved this moment to the top of that special  list.

I looked over at the snoozers and prayed their nap would be lengthy  and 
attempted to find my own little cranny in the cocoon.  I popped on my  
earphones hoping my chosen audio book would help to temper my discomfort and  allow 
time to pass more quickly.  In a matter of minutes I again thought of  that 
posterior kick upon realizing that I had picked the most boring book in my  
collection.  Another truth of life revealed... boredom does not lend itself 
 to instant snooze as you might believe.  Instead I found myself drumming 
my  fingers on a knee that was already in pain.  Another truth... drumming  
fingers does not equal therapeutic massage.

Oh, the joys of  travel!

Pit stop!!!  Three hours down and nine more to  go!    Horrors!  Would the 
snoozers be awakened? Well, of  course, they would be!  Good thing, I had to 
admit.  A wet cocoon  would not be on my wish list of good things.  

On our way again...  and the snoozers do go back to snoozing.  I lifted my 
eyes skyward and  mouthed a heartfelt 'thank you' to any divine entity 
responsible.  Telling  myself I must get some sleep because daylight will come 
and the snoozers will  awaken, I settled back to enjoy my boring choice of 
reading material and smiled  at my silent grumpiness.  I was actually quite 
proud of myself. Only nine  hours to go.  Oh joy....

Another pit stop!!  Again I murmured a  'thank you' to anyone who might be 
listening but for a different reason and  heard my son-in-law chuckle, 
asking if I had enjoyed my nap.  Whoa... I  really had napped!  Daylight had 
arrived and the snoozers had awakened....  and now only six hours to go!

The journey continued and another truth  was revealed.  I never once chided 
my daughter or son-in-law for their  apparent bending of speed limit rules. 
The thought did cross my mind but my knee  threatened to make it possible 
for that posterior attention I contemplated  earlier to become a reality.  
Enough motivation to zip my lip and leave the  driving to the 'experts'.  I 
nearly choked on that thought but my knee  spoke up again and...yes, I 
listened.

I really was looking forward to  this trip and I told myself that as the 
miles crawled by in endless  monotony.  I was going to be visiting family 
living in the foothills of the  Ozarks while the experts and snoozers were going 
on to enjoy a theme park and  have their first fun vacation in a couple of 
years.  So it was all good...  except, of course, for the road trip and two 
very talkative knees.  After  several more pit stops and even a brief doze 
or two we arrived!  After a  short visit filled with many hugs and much 
laughter, my fellow travelers  continued on to their final pit stop and I settled 
in for a few days of quiet  and relaxation.  I think I even heard a sigh of 
relief escape from knees in  dire need of space and a long soak in a tub.

The next few days were spent  simply enjoying... I love my bayou home but I 
must admit that the mountains draw  me with their own charm.  The scent of 
air filled with its unique blend of  nature's best and worst, the feel of a 
mountain morning, cool breeze on skin,  the music of a feathered concerto, 
welcoming in off-key renditions of familiar  songs, the echo of life that 
comes from the earth and sky, and the peace that  settles upon me at 
sunset...all have made my visits here special memories.   No doubt I would add a few 
more and I did.

Time does not stand still,  however, and the day came when we must journey 
home.  It was mid-morning  and after tearful goodbyes and more of those 
family hugs, I again crawled into  that comfortable car, the cocoon of 
torture....twelve hours and counting I  thought.  Yes, the joys of travel.... The 
knees only groaned!

I soon  learned that these twelve hours would be spent a bit differently 
than those  spent on the first round.  The snoozers would not be snoozing and 
the pit  stops would likely be more frequent.  I also learned a few more of 
life's  truths and some gave me much pleasure in the discovery.  I learned 
that I  still possessed the ability to give children that 'look'.  It is 
tempered a  bit with grandmothers' gray but the effect is still the same.  I 
learned  that patience is indeed a virtue.  I did already know this but a 
refresher  course is never a bad thing, is it?  I also learned that though knees 
can  forgive, they do not forget and likely I will be reminded of my road 
trip for  some time to come.  I do not fear the swift kick though because even 
they  realize the attempt would be futile really.   Finally, I learned that 
 growing older means accepting life as it comes, both good and bad, but 
always  embracing the living and breathing of every moment.  Again, something I 
 knew but the reminder is always nice.  

Oh, the joys of travel...  and the joy of coming home!