My three-plus-week getaway officially came to an end yesterday afternoon when I rolled back into the peacock-filled driveway here in Pasadena.
And just like that…the trip was over.
After more than 2,000 miles added to the odometer, a couple of cruise points added to the tally, and suitcases that somehow feel heavier coming home than they did leaving, I’m baaaaack.
When I pulled into the driveway, I just sat in the car for a moment longer than usual, taking it all in before getting out.
Home hits differently after you’ve been gone for a while. Like a deep breath you didn’t realize you needed.
I’m not going anywhere for a bit. Not mentally. Not physically. Not logistically.
At least not until I can lose enough weight to fly comfortably again. That part is still very real and still sitting at the top of the list.
Because what I learned, or maybe relearned, on this trip is that Clint doesn’t mind driving for about an hour. Maybe two if the vibes are right. Anything beyond that? Not my cup of tea. Especially if bridges or mountain passes are involved.
Road trips are a lot harder for me than I remember. What used to feel like the freedom of the open road now sometimes feels like an endurance test of too many highways.
And yet, I did it.
Getting into Pasadena just before Friday rush hour felt oddly busy and quiet at the same time. There was no big moment. No dramatic sense of arrival. Just a subtle shift from being out there to being back here.
I left the bags in the car and went inside, where my roommate and his lil dawg Miss Ellie Mae awaited. Out in the backyard, his brother and sister-in-law were in the middle of giving the outside of my garage apartment some much-needed updates. Exciting!
We all cussed. We all discussed. Then my roommate headed off to work, everyone else went home, and I took a nap. A short, but very necessary, nap.
My place smelled like Fabulosa, that household cleaner that somehow makes everything feel fresher than it should. I’d left the bottle open while I was gone, hoping it would keep the apartment smelling fresh. And it did.
By evening, I was ready to start unpacking and easing back into the small rituals that travel interrupts.
A shower in my own bathroom.
A meal that didn’t come from a drive-thru, a cruise buffet, or some random gas station along the highway.
Sitting in my usual spot and letting the noise of the past few weeks begin to settle.
Travel has a way of overstimulating everything. The sights. The sounds. The constant decisions. Even when it’s all good, it still adds up. Being home is where I can finally process it all.
By the time night rolled around, I was more than ready to sleep in my own bed again.
It shouldn’t feel like a luxury, but after weeks away, it absolutely does. No thin hotel pillows. No unfamiliar noises through the walls. No awkward navigation in the dark.
Just quiet. Just comfort.
I don’t even remember falling asleep.
This morning, there was a brief moment of disorientation. Where the fuck am I?
And then it clicked, right about the same time the peacocks started squawking.
I’m home.
No packing. No checkout time. No miles to cover. No itinerary waiting.
Just a day ahead of me being and doing whatever I need to today.
I may not be Dorothy, but as a forever friend of Dorothy (Gale and Zbornak), I can confirm that there really is no place like home.
As much as I love going places, I love coming back even more.
For now, home is exactly where I need and want to be.
Keep calm and have a great weekend!
Clint 🌈✌️
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
05-02 = Catherine Opie (1961- ) = American photographer 🌈
05-02 = Lesley Gore (1946-2015) = American singer-songwriter 🌈
05-02 = Lorenz Hart (1895-1943) = American lyricist 🌈
05-02 = Mabel Hampton (1902-1989) = American activist and dancer 🌈
05-02 = Roscoe Lee Browne = American actor and director 🌈
MAN CRUSHES OF THE DAY
“There isn’t anything I wanted to do that I haven’t. At the same time, there isn’t anything I’ve ever done that I didn’t want to do better.”
Richard Rodgers
“Wide awake I can make my most fantastic dreams come true.”
Lorenz Hart
You need some practice with your ruby slippers. I have always prefered teleportation for distances greater than an hour away. But then I come from a small island nation. My mind is overwhelemed by large distances.
Welcome home (nest) my dear. Rest and reclaim your space.
Clint,
What a wonderful “WELCOME HOME” party: Roomate, dog, roomate’s family decorating your home.
What a wonderful new (or revisited) awareness of your attitude towards travel. I haven’t traveled since 2019 right around when COVID 19 first showed itself to be a life changer, world changer, concept of what it means to be alive changer, totally new way to look at totally ancient life habits changed due to the threat of death.
Some of my abstinence in travel was also due to getting older. My soundbite is: “As you get older, you need to pack a lot more life sustaining items and are able to lift less into the overhead bin of your flight’s airplane.” Driving for long trips might still be possible but not something that carries “I am looking forward to … “. Also, some lets call them digestive issues have necessarily kept me close to home and not on the road in the middle of nowhere or in the air even further from nowhere. I say that I might travel again … but I do not have to decide today.
Anyway, welcome home, looking forward to more of your engaging, sometimes serious and sometimes humorous adventures in writing. Also, keep those posing straps coming.
Fondly,
Michael