Preparations for flight

We did a bit of running around today, getting last minute items ready and taken care of before we fly north in the morning. I wouldn’t have had the chance to do this if we were still workamping. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll work again. But as I was driving around the hum of the engine allowed me to become introspective. That always happens. Perhaps this is the reason I love to drive. My best thoughts used to come to me on a lawn tractor. While I was droning down I-75 this morning I gleaned that I’ve traded a lot of dreams in the past for a bigger paycheck and I didn’t even realize I was doing it. That won’t happen again.
I was cleaning out the storage bays underneath the RV again today in search of some winter clothes. Apparently it’s sputtering some snow in Pittsburgh and shorts and a T-shirt just won’t make it. Pulling out the old leather motorcycle jackets I saw that it was again time to downsize. Items not used and clothes not worn for months needed to make their departure to make finding necessities so much easier. My oyster colored tire covers don’t complement the onyx behemoth that we live in, so I asked Mark, whom I had met earlier at the laundry this morning, if he might be interested in protecting his wheels from the sun. Most assuredly. So I walked them over to him, giving him an early Christmas gift. I went through a tupperware box of clothes that I’ve been “saving”.

I have been saving clothes for years. Either they’re too big, or in most cases too small, so they go into the fat pants box, knowing that as soon as I lose enough weight they’ll come in handy. As always, by the time I lose the weight, the clothes have long gone out of style. However, that’s the exception with the rule being that much weight is never lost. So I packed good clothes and items into a bag and during our “running around” session I stopped at Goodwill and made a deposit. I’ve done that in the past but today was different. I decided to go inside and see what the store had to offer. I didn’t need anything. It was just a study in sociology for me. I was moved by the number of people shopping for Christmas items. I never realized  that thousands of people receive gifts that have been worn or used previously. This moved me. I’ve been quite contemplative and melancholic this week. I’m wanting so much to give back. When I return I’m going through my “stuff” again. If I don’t really need it, it’s going to someone who does. Despite the sun and lack of snow, the giving season has set in my soul.

Last minute packing tonight for an early departure. Hopefully I’ll find time to blog between the wedding,  visiting with family and friends and watching football this weekend. If not, I’ll be back on Tuesday. Tom and Deana, whom I worked for at the Elkhorn Cafe in North Dakota this summer, will be rolling in for a month long visit. Can’t wait.