On the Road Again

The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Psalm 116:6 (NIV)

Finally! On the road! I went in to work for a little while this morning. We had a weekly team meeting and another group I work with had a Board meeting. Our team meeting was on breaking goals down in smaller steps. We started out with a “game” where they were given the assignment of putting an elephant in the refrigerator. Not really, just an imaginary elephant (full size) in a regular size refrigerator. They came up with all kinds of ideas including a shrink ray gun, an elephant sized refrigerator and a fund raising campaign to buy them both. Typical non profit staff, “Let’s have a fundraiser!” Normally, I like my staff to think outside the box, come up with new and different plans and of course, raise money, but this time, I asked them to go back and rethink their idea. I told them when a group of five year olds were asked that question, they replied, “Open the refrigerator door and put him in.” You see sometimes, we make things way to complicated. I reminded them to KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid. I, of course, was speaking to myself because I had managed to complicate my morning with a bunch of silly stuff. Some were related to our trip, like pick up maps from AAA and go to the bank, but most had nothing to do with travel, but with my obsession with leaving nothing undone. I think I inherited it. I remember my parents never left with us on vacation until about five in the evening and then, we traveled all night. Of course in those days, there was no air conditioning in the cars and driving on 441 through Florida and Georgia to my grandparent’s summer home in North Carolina was brutal due to the heat. One summer, our hamster, who traveled with us, (long story) even died. So, I guess they had an excuse to wait until late in the day to leave, but I really think my mom was rushing around changing sheets on the bed, picking up dry cleaning and sweeping the floor. Like I do. I mean, who wants to come home from vacation and sleep on dirty sheets? No wonder that my blood pressure was high when I went in for my lab work this morning. The lab work I have had months to do. Funny thing, youngest son has caught my obsession and yesterday, cleaned the upstairs of the house from top to bottom. Oh, wait, he is not going with us. Uh, oh. I think something’s up. I better warn the police. So, now, even though I made my morning complicated, I am about to leave and will keep the KISS motto before me. The car is packed, directions printed, music ready and we’re off. Next stop, the English Cottage Bed and Breakfast in Tallahassee, the Tallahassee Antique Automobile Museum and a chance to make a new friend. See you on down the road!