The other day I was sitting on the porch on a perfectly gorgeous morning when I saw an airplane inching its way across the section of sky above the crabapple tree. Wouldn’t it be fun to be out traveling? I thought to myself. To smell hot tarmac and trundle up the jetway into the bustle of airport humanity? Not even sentiment can make me nostalgic for trundling DOWN the jetway into an airplane, since I suffer from severe motion sickness. But there is something about those large centers of foot traffic that give a person the feeling of being a cog in the wheel of humanity which I find oddly refreshing.
Then, I remembered that no one I’ve ever met has as much fun traveling as my daughter, who is 11 weeks old. She’s never been 100 miles away from home, but boy does she travel. Here are some tips for you if you would like to travel like a baby.
1. Delight in Your Own Home and Possessions Every Day
Every morning, Anina stares at her surroundings with astonishment. A ceiling fan. Wow! A wall clock. Amazing! The refrigerator. Fascinating!
And you know what? If those things weren’t there, I would be sad. So why not be delighted about having them each day?
2. Enjoy Sight-Seeing to the Fullest
This is getting a little out-of-control, actually. Marnell has been giving Anina airplane rides when he sits in his recliner – holding her up and swirling her through the air. Now, if she’s sitting with him, she expects them and screams if he doesn’t take her flying. But the look on her face is just priceless. Perfectly smug and perfectly enthralled with the ride. Every night.
The newest thing in this department is that she is no longer content to be burped on my shoulder. No, she wants to be higher in the chair so she can see over the back.
Must. See. Things.
3. If You Don’t Feel Like Waking Up, Don’t
Once, when Anina was very small, I asked her if she was fake sleeping. She opened one eye.
Don’t let anyone disturb your rest, and you just might feel like you are in a hammock four thousand miles from home, except you haven’t spent a dime.
4. Stretch Like Your Life Depends on It
When is the last time you stretched with both arms above your head when waking up? Try it. Best if you put your entire body into the effort. Clamp both eyes shut and contort your mouth into a fearful grimace. Cheaper than a day on a tropical beach, and just as refreshing.
5. Soak Up All the Details
Take at least two minutes to look at ANYTHING.
6. Take Every Opportunity for a Field Trip
In the middle of the night, when Anina was little and crying for food, it sounded like she was on the very brink of starvation. Yet she instantly transformed to Field Trip Mode when picked out of the crib. Eyes roaming, she scoured the surroundings as though she had never seen them before. And who knows? They say baby’s eyes get better and better, so maybe she could see a little more each time.
Next time you are feeling travel-hungry and aren’t able to travel, vacation like a baby! And, if you are thinking that I am experiencing cabin fever because of my gazing at the airplane, you’re mostly wrong. I haven’t missed it too much so far. In fact, I was going to share the good travels I’ve had at home this summer. But the deadline for Book Two of the adventure series is staring me in the face, so I’ll leave that for next week.
We had some fun with a sale on the e-book version of From the White House to the Amish this week. It is still on sale yet today, July 17, for only $1.99, on Kindle, Google Play, Apple Books, Kobo, or Barnes & Noble. It’s a great time to try it out if you haven’t. And consider trying one of the less common e-book stores while you’re at it! Kobo is Canadian, although it is also used by the US and many other countries.
Thanks for all the feedback on Trapped in the Tunnel! I’ll share a few comments from people who got books this week. But if you’re brave enough, send me a photo of someone reading the book so I have something to share below besides the same old cover image. Just let me know that you’re okay with me using it!
An adult: (LOL) I had to read the last four chapters so I could keep doing my housework.
A girl: Our daughter is reading your new book. She said it’s the best book she ever read, which says a lot because she is a prolific reader.
A boy: I read the first 4 chapters and he begs that I not stop reading.
