It's nice to be back again.

 

“And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again

Goin' places that I've never been

Seein' things that I may never see again

And I can't wait to get on the road again.”

If you have ever seen the movie, “Up in the Air,” you know the story. If you have ever experienced a pandemic, you know the same story. You stay put. Unlike the character in the movie, it turns out he was not confined to the walls of his home, for the rest of us, we had to. I am so glad this is in the rear view mirror and hope it never happens again.

I am a salesman. Hopefully not one of “those” salesman, I have been doing this for decades and it has been quite an adventure. I have been fortunate to not have to be on the road every week, but there were times when I would be “out of the office” during the month for several days. It allowed me to meet new people, see new sites, and gain weight. If you are like me, when you break routine, lack of routine breaks you.

Many years ago I used to run. I was with my boss, and these were back in the days when salesmen brought liquor with them on the road. I was not part of that generation, but my boss was. So, as he sat back after a long day, I went for a run; we were in Iowa and the temp was probably 95 degrees. As an intelligent runner, I ran on the blacktop of the highway which should have melted my Nike’s but fortunately did not. 

But, when I got back, looking like I had just taken a shower—-I hadn’t—-he asked, “Want a drink?” Since I wanted to appear invincible, I said, “sure.” The rim of the glass and first sip scotch were soon touching my lips and I drank it. Big mistake. I went back to my room and regretted it. Never again.

Starting about 20 years ago, when I traveled, I began bringing my camera with me. It was portable, I was typically driving by myself, and when I saw something I wanted to capture, I would pull over and snap away. It was the best way I knew to capture a portion of America and I didn’t have to pay to do it, the company did!  However, since I often would pull over on the side of the interstate, there were many truck drivers who did not appreciate what I was doing. Apparently, I was a distraction. Whatever.

Life on the road is back, and I could not be happier. It’s still in the “trickle stage" as Zoom and other technologies have made it much easier to be there and back in a split second—-but there is still something about being able to travel again.

The photo above was taken in Colorado. I was not traveling for business, the state is not part of my territory; but when I think back just a few years ago at this time, when no one seemed to leave their homes, I can say it’ “great to be on the road again.”

Thanks for stopping by.