I love to travel but I am a terrible traveler. Why? I don't know how to take my time and enjoy myself along the way!

There are basically two reasons for traveling. One....to get to where your going. Two....to enjoy things along the way. I always set out on a trip with the intention of taking my time and enjoying "the trip". But as soon as I start driving, something else takes over. I become "pedal to the medal" and the only thing that matters is getting to where I'm going, and I have the speeding tickets to prove it! Do I live my whole life this way? I think that maybe I do.

Lets see....I eat that way. It's like food is not to be enjoyed but meant to just get into your belly as quickly as possible. I work that way. Instead of enjoying my day, I'm always looking forward to the day being over with. I read books that way. It's like the reading part is just work, I am always anxious to just get to the end of the book. And then there's sex. That must be why I always.....oops....never mind.

I remember when I was about 19 working at this union job. All of the old timers there knew exactly how many more years and days until they got to retire. I didn't understand why they were even thinking this way because once they retired, they were going to be old and just that much closer to death. Why didn't they enjoy their life now for what it was? I had that realization early in life, but somewhere along the way, I lost it.

I guess I can say that my dilemma with traveling is a smaller picture of my dilemma with how I live my life. Is it too late to change? Can I teach myself how to enjoy the moment more? Maybe eat slower and practice appreciating what I am eating as I eat it. Maybe stopping during my work day and appreciating where I am and what I am doing in that moment and realizing that when I get home, I'm just going to plop myself in front of the television, and is that really any better then what I am doing right now? Maybe next time I read a good book, I'll try to savor each page, taking notice of how I am enjoying the information or the story as I consume it.

I think I can do those things, I really do. It's the traveling part I'm not too sure about. After a life time of being destiny oriented, can I actually turn off of a main highway when I am making excellent time, and when I don't need gas, food, a restroom break, or the car isn't even broken down? The idea of slowing an automobile down and either stopping or taking a side trip off the main highway when it has nothing to do with where your traveling to....wow....that's heavy, it just feels wrong.

This goes against my traveling genes. I am the guy who gets you to where you want to go. I am a driving machine. I will give up lunch if it means getting somewhere 30 minutes sooner. I will wait until the gas tank registers empty before I even think of looking for a gas station. Having to pee is never an excuse for stopping a machine that is making good traveling time. You hold it damn it, you just hold it, we'll be there in a couple more hours!

But that's the old me. The new me is going to learn how to stop and smell the roses, enjoy the view from a look out point, or just take a walk on a country road for no reason at all. Now I just need an excuse to travel somewhere so I can put the new me to the test. I like going to the wine country. That's it, I'm going to take an Autumn trip to the wine country. Lets see, I can take highway 20 to 101 and then south to Santa Rosa, but on the other hand, 80 over to 12 and then up to Napa is about an hour faster....