I’m writing a different kind of story this month. It doesn’t involve putting words on paper or creating new characters. Instead, it’s about creating memories, writing the next life chapter, and embracing new experiences.
Our family’s Google Timeline shows a spider of activity from our hometown, stretching out across the country in all different directions. With road trips to Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, Colorado, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York, I’ve seen more parts of the country in the last three months than I’ve previously seen in the last ten years.
There was a necessity to these expeditions. Each one revolved around visiting a university that my son has been accepted into as he gets ready to embark on the next phase of his life. But it’s what happened when we weren’t on the various campuses that will remain with me the longest: unique dining experiences (empanadas have become a new favorite), silly billboards and our stifled laughter whenever passing them on the highway (I never realized just how many attorney advertisements existed in the world), eclectic landmarks (who knew there was a National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY or a bigger than life-sized replica of Superman in Metropolis, IL), and grand vistas that were truly breathtaking (our first visit to Rocky Mountain National Park depicted in the image above).
So, while I’ll forever be attached to the idea of tales transcribed in the pages of a book, I realize that it’s through the lens of real-life experiences that authors discover and form the emotional connection that makes each piece of fiction so compelling. I hope to convey those myriad sentiments in future stories, but for now, during this month, I’m simply embracing the opportunity to relish the one that’s unfolding before my eyes.
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