October 27, 2022
When you travel for several weeks, or in my case, months at a time, there is a certain pressure to go and see things every day. After all, I’m in a new city, state, or country; I can’t just sit around and read a book all day. There is always some downtime in the evenings—usually required due to aching feet—which is certainly welcome. But I absolutely treasure days when I have no particular agenda.
My days in Valencia are numbered. Today is Thursday, and I leave Monday morning. You might think I would be rushing around to see and do things before I go, but I’ve been here for almost a month. I have seen much and don’t feel any pressure to see or do more. I do need to do some shopping, but that’s it. I can get to that later.
So today, I’m enjoying the ultimate leisurely morning.
I love breakfast. I wake up starving every day. Believe me, I consider myself lucky to have a strong metabolism at my age. (By the way, my dream man would wake up just a bit earlier than I and serve me a splendid offering of fruit, tea, and an omelet. That’s not asking too much, is it?)
Today, I got up, put on the tea water, peeled a Mandarin orange, and took some blueberries out of the frig. So, here’s the quirky part: I eat my fruit and drink my tea first. Then, ideally, I wait thirty minutes or so to eat breakfast, part two, the omelet, or whatever I’m craving that morning. (Today’s consisted of bacon, mushroom, and avocado with a small slice of Spanish tortilla on the side.) Then I finished with a second cup of tea, my vitamins, and a small piece of chocolate. I guess that’s another quirk. Dark chocolate is my coffee replacement.
I also ran a load of laundry at one point and will get into my morning yoga routine after I finish writing.
It may be noon before I get out the door. But I remind myself that I’m free. I’m no longer tied to the intense schedule of a classroom teacher. As my friend the produce man said, I’m “living.” I get to choose how to spend my days. And I cherish each one of them.
Wandering Shannon 