Summer Something to Write About: Field Trip!

So, yesterday was actually the first real day of my summer vacation.  I just completed teaching a short, five week class at UNT, where I went to school four mornings a week.  It was an incredible group of students and though it was a quick ride, we had a good time and I think they learned a lot.
I am now "between trips" for awhile and plan to do some writing.  Here goes!!

Hard as I try, I am not one who can simply "do nothing" with my day.  I saw a joke the other day where the wife asked the husband  what he was going to do that day and he replied, "Not much".  She replied, "That's what you said yesterday."  He answered her by saying, "Yeah, I didn't get finished."
I wish I could live that life, but it is not me.  My mother was "busy" with her life, even when she was not cognitively with us.  My daddy pretty much sat down in his recliner.  He died one week after he turned 76.  Mom lived to be almost 92.  Not sure what all of that means, but that is how it happened.

My goal was to try to relax and not let the clock control me.  This I truly did accomplish yesterday as I created a little adventure.  A couple of times I had to tell myself, "You are not on the clock. Take as much time as you want."  I had to repeat this several times but was successful.  Here is how my field trip turned out.

It began at Kohls!

I read in a church email that the Salvation Army in Lewisville was in need of Women's underwear.  I thought this was something I could surely help with, so I began my day with a trip to Kohl's and bought two packages of 5.  Before I left the house, I found some jeans in great condition and added them to the bag for my donation.  Before leaving Kohls, I was tempted and lost by the picture books and matching stuffed animals that were near the register.  Oh, well, my friend, Cynthia Alaniz, will understand. :)

From Kohls I headed to the local Salvation Army on Charles and Main.

I went into the main office to leave my clothing and recalled that several of my friends told me that they volunteer there once a week.  I spoke to a lady about an application which she kindly found for me.  Then she asked if I wanted a receipt for my donation which I had completely forgotten about! Once I filled it out, she looked at my name and said, "You used to teach with LISD, didn't you?"  Of course, I answered proudly, "Yes!".  It turned out that she was Ginny Marshall, who had been the secretary to Dr. Downing, our beloved former superintendent, for many years.  She actually remembered me as Rosie Vera which happens now and then with people who knew me "back then".

Anyway, I took the application and am looking forward to being able to volunteer there in the near future.

I forgot to mention that I stopped for lunch at Mom's Diner on Main Street which I noticed is a favorite for the locals.  The food is all home cookin' and very reasonably priced.  I grabbed a quick bite and went on my way. 

I decided that I would next go to the Public Library which is one of my very favorite places to hang out.  If they served coffee, I would probably set up my "offices" there instead of Starbucks.  As I was circling back from downtown, I passed the Lewisville City Hall.  Now, mind you, I watched them build that structure but had never gone inside!  So, since I "had all of this time", I pulled my car into the parking lot to go see it.

If you have never been there, you should go.  As you arrive at the front, you will see a beautiful memorial to our Armed Services.  There is a lovely fountain/pool alongside it.

Inside the building you could see beautiful staircases that went all of the way to the third floor.  The office areas were off to the ends of the building, so you felt as if you were in a museum as you felt the quiet and looked at all of the pictures and other pieces displayed in cases and on the wall.  It is certainly a building that the city of Lewisville can hold with pride. I couldn't believe that this building had been there since 2003 and I had never stopped to go inside it.  Check that one off! I stayed awhile then got back to my car and headed to the Lewisville Public Library.

If you ever go to the library in the summer, you know that it is one popular place.  Yesterday the children's section was alive and active with the beautiful sights of kids reading, being read to, and enjoying hands on activities.   There were people there to study, to work, and probably just to surf the internet.  Also, there were some who were obviously there to escape the heat.  One gentlemen had a backpack which I would guess held all of his worldly possessions.  But, for whatever reason that folks were there, the library held a welcoming, quiet, and beautiful place to be.  I love to sit upstairs facing the huge windows which display the sky outside like a National Geographic movie.

This time I intentionally looked for books by Louise Penny.  She is a mystery writer who was featured last week on CBS Sunday morning.  I wanted to read excerpts of her books to see if she could hook me.  I found a very comfortable chair, put my feet up, and read for over an hour. Yes, a couple of times I had to tell myself that I could keep reading and that I had nowhere I had to be.  It was great!

After reading for over an hour, a wave of fatigue came over me, and, you guessed it...I knew I needed coffee!  So, I packed up my books and headed for my home away from home, Starbucks on Main Street.  I was going to go through the drive-thru, but then reminded myself to relax and that I had time to go inside where it was cool.  I took a book that I am presently reading by Debbie Macomber and ordered my tall, skinny vanilla latte, extra hot.

As I sat there reading, I looked around at all of the reasons I love to come here.  First of all, it's the coffee, of course, with its wonderful aroma that hits you as you enter the door.  Then, there's the music that, most of the time, fits my mood perfectly.  But, most importantly, it is the energy and dynamics of people there.  As I sat yesterday, I saw some people seriously working on a computer.  Perhaps they were students or doing something work related.  There were two friends sitting in front of me who pulled their seats close together so they could visit easily.  There were some who were obviously there for coffee and conversation and then there were the loners who were either reading or talking on their phones.  I think the interesting thing about Starbucks is that all of us who were there, were there for different reasons.   

If I find myself thinking that I have nothing to do on a particular day, I am always confident that I can create my own fun as I did on this field trip.  The secret is to get out of bed, get dressed and be ready for anything that might come along.

I ended this outing by taking my clothes by the dry cleaners.  Maria, the owner, is always there to greet me with a smile and she calls me by name. What a rare thing this day and time when our world is so busy that we don't take the time to catch each other's name.  I would bet that Maria knows every customer she has.

This was not a day that would go down in any history book but I totally enjoyed it.  Most importantly, it was certainly SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT!

R.