Saturday, January 20, 2007

Vacate And Shun

A few days ago, my wife and I decided to start discussions about a family trip over Spring Break. I spent about an hour poking around the Southwest airlines, looking for something that a pleasant little family could do in four or five days. Away from home. Not too expensive. You know - pleasant.
It turns out that even "pleasant" costs. You need to have a job to pay for the vacation that you take from your job. As a result, I set my eyes on a low cost, low impact objective: San Diego. I shared this with my wife, and she found this suggestion intriguing.
Here's what I forgot: By opening one alternative up, I was creating a world of choices. Over the next few days, I received an e-mail from her that told me that she was undergoing her seven step process for considering this option. She said that she was moving up to her second step, which involved more research - and more "processing".
That's the one that always gets me: Processing. I recognized that my own process involves two steps: Think and Do. this makes me one of those knuckle-dragging males who make their wives miserable by moving in straight lines that make sense primarily only to themselves and other males. I was wise enough to see potential for struggle and strife, so I decided to respect the mission that my wife had chosen. On either side of my straight lines are these massive, sweeping, creative arcs that eventually lead to the same destination. Surrender to the inevitable and enjoy the ride.

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