A few days ago at lunch I decided to take a drive. I didn't have anything I needed to do, I had picked up a sandwich to take back to the office, and I had a few minutes of free time. So I just started driving.
I'm totally new to the area that I work in, so I had zero idea of where I was going. While I was driving I was trying to take in everything I saw. I started thinking about what I was doing, and I realized something about myself that I guess I've always known, just haven't really acknowledged: I love discovering new things.
It doesn't really matter what it is. A new place, a new store, a new band, a new book....a new anything really. I'm not one of those people who wants to be the "first" to discover something. That's never really been my thing. I don't care if you show the new thing to me, I will still be overjoyed at learning about it.
When I was younger, one of my absolute favorite things to do was to drive around in Tulsa. Or more accurately, ride around while one of my parents drove me. Being from a tiny little town in Oklahoma, Tulsa was the nearest "big city", and it was only about 30 minutes away, so we went there quite frequently. Just about any time we had to go, I would beg whichever of my parents I was with to Please, Please drive around. I just wanted to see new things. New buildings, new houses, just new stuff.
I never thought this was strange. I assumed everyone felt the same way. But Arsen? Not a fan. He really just has no interest in getting in the car and driving and looking at stuff. It really puts a kink in my plans sometimes, especially if we are someplace new and I reeeeaaallly want to explore. Occasionally he gives in, which is why he's such a super good husband.
I've decided this is a trait I get from my father. He loves to get in the car and drive. To Arizona, or California, or South Carolina. Every single vacation we took, up until the point that I was a senior in high school, we drove. I literally had never been on an airplane until I was 17, because we drove everywhere we went. And it's not like we didn't travel some decently far distances. He would get SO mad at me because I would sleep most of the way. He couldn't fathom that we were driving and seeing all of this beautiful countryside and I was missing it. At the time I could take it or leave it unless it was a tall shiny building. I'm coming around on the natural beauty thing as I age.
So now that I realize this is something that brings me such joy, I think I will embrace it. I'm on a new mission to discover new. Anything new. We'll see how it goes.
