Monday, March 6, 2017

This "Toupee" Shall Pass: Diversion Technique #2



President Trump has been our reality for six weeks. Somehow it feels longer, but it also serves as another reminder of how quickly time goes by. It is now March, which means that I have not yet been successful at slowing down time. That concept, however, is a whole separate tangent. Still the focus of this edition of diversion technique or "This 'Toupee' Shall Pass" is: Exploration.

One of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin, recently reminded me that "...people who do new things -- learn a game, travel to unfamiliar places -- are happier than people who stick to familiar activities that they already do well." I think it is easy to believe that the only way to accomplish this goal is by planning a trip to some new destination; but there are so many other ways to find joy right in your own area.


This point was reinforced of by someone I have known since elementary school whom I live vicariously through on Facebook as she is quite the globe trotter. She has spent much of 2017 in Tokyo with a few side trips to other Asian countries. A number of people started messaging her after the election about how much they enjoy her travel posts/photos because they are a nice distraction (diversion!). She went onto remind us all that we can post non-political things too, including something like finding joy in a cup of coffee and sharing it through social media. We don't need to be on the other side of the Pacific Ocean to do that. Thanks, Valerie!


While I do revel in having someone ask me, "where are you going now?" after posting some silly airport experience (usually a result of morning brain) because I do enjoy traveling. Yet, I  also take great pleasure in being a tourist in Denver. I have lived here for almost 10 years (in May), and I am still finding new and interesting things to do. For instance, so far this year Danny and I have tried: the National Western Stock Show; a Monster Jam truck rally; and "Thank you for being a friend. In drag," The Golden Girls (now that was a hoot, especially the guy who played Dorothy). This weekend, the docket includes Frozen Dead Guy Days.  Please note that most of these things are done using some kind of discount offering - Groupon, Goldstar, etc. are worth subscribing to, or at least checking before you buy full priced tickets.


Yet, I also like to be a tourist in other places whenever possible. Working for a national organization means that I travel for work with some regularity. I often go sight-seeing on my own dime, even if it means coming in a day early. An example would be my side trips in Boston last week - Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum and the JFK Presidential Library and Museum were crammed in before my meetings started on Sunday. It was fun to see that my parents took advantage of the opportunity to come into Cleveland a day early to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as they were picking up my sister and her boyfriend en route to visit our family in Baltimore for Christmas. My in-laws also jumped at the chance to continue on to Quebec City after joining Danny and me on our Cleveland leg of our east coast baseball adventures of 2016. As an aside, the four of us all enjoyed Cleveland more than we would initially thought. A lot can be done in 36 hours visiting, "the mistake on the lake."


It's always fun to think about what's possible. In fact, I have read that adventures create a trifecta of happiness: the planning/anticipation, the doing, and the memories after the fact. Let's be honest, I may take more pleasure in the first part (the planning) than most; but this may prove that others enjoy it too. 


I hope you will think about living out the quote from the Dalai Lama: "Once a year, go someplace you've never been before." I used this quote on the back of our photo book for 2016 because I took pride that Danny and I had accomplished it. And if you do it, I would encourage you to send yourself a postcard about it; in an effort not to forget what all went into this year, we made a conscious effort to document our fun through postcards.


Have fun, the year is still young!
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