Hump Day Dreaming

Aside from being distracted this week, a steadily growing employee relations case load and coaching sessions, things have been slower at work than usual. After the pandemonium of the previous week, I am welcoming this time of not allowing myself to feel as overwhelmed. Wednesdays are the “humps” in the week that we all have to get over to ensure that we’ll get through the remaining weekdays and coast through to the weekend. Even though this week hasn’t been so bad, I still look forward to the respite that Saturday and Sunday brings. I have a couple grueling things to get through between now and Friday. After that, I can kick my legs up, relax and recharge. For now, I find myself dreaming about all the things I have lined up and upcoming opportunities to play.

With our 70+ degree days, I find that my mood is more chipper. I open my blinds every morning and allow the sun light to shine through, enveloping me with its warmth and it feels amazing. I wake up excited to take on the day, ready for the challenges and potential wins. These days, I feel warm both inside and out. I am happy and content for the first time in a really long while. For the first time, the unknown excites me, even when that excitement is coupled with a little hint of fear. The days are getting longer and it appears like Winter will soon come to an end. The plants are starting to bud and the blades of grass have broke the surface (although they are still looking a little dry). Maybe they’ll get to stick around a little longer. After all the cold and rain, we all deserve better days and I believe those are around the corner and ahead of us. The rains have washed away all of the dread and sadness. Now it’s time to watch growth and renewal take form.

I’ve been going back and forth about which places I want to explore next. I’m already getting the itch to plan my next getaway. Ireland is a strong maybe for the Fall, along with the Geechee Islands in South Carolina. Italy and London are also on that growing list. Ideally, Ghana would be my next international destination. Not just because of all the people I have met from there or the friends who travel regularly to Accra, I have yet to step foot on the continent and I’ve had a growing desire to go. I crave a visit to the motherland (funny, I mentioned Africa being the “motherland” to a friend and he scoffed at that statement, wondering what that is about). The flight there is so long that I would need to stay at least two weeks to make it worth my while. The thing holding me back is I want to do it right and go with the right people. After the Paris debacle of 2009, I learned that the company you travel with can make or break the experience you’ll ultimately have. For now, a trip to Ireland seems the most likely of all the destinations to happen. I’ll continue to track flight prices on Google Flights, hoping that the prices will make it worth my while and I’ll decide on a whim whether to take the leaps on these jaunts.

Right now I’m looking forward to spending quality time with friends and trying to get creative about different ways we can accomplish that. While grand adventures are on hold, smaller local ones are easier to plan and execute. Aside from some small get-togethers, the first activity booked is baby goat yoga in April (click here for info), many wine festivals scattered throughout the PA/NJ/NY region between May and September, so many music festivals in the PA/NY/DC area throughout the Summer and a ton of concerts of up-and-coming and established artists. If you’re an Afrobeats connoisseur like me, those artists always make their rounds in the Philly, NYC, DC area, all which are within two hours of each other. There are also so many themed street festivals, many that are neighborhood specific and most that revolve around food trucks with cuisines from all over the area and world. I say all of this to say, you don’t have to leave your neighborhoods in order to escape and try something different. As my calendar starts to fill up, I’m trying to be mindful of the time I’ll need to rest in between all of these experiences. I’m hoping to continue to nourish and feed my soul.