Road Tripping through Wonder Land

I recently took a fabulous two-week, 13-state road trip out west. For those who are contemplating vacation with an aggressive driving schedule, I have the following suggestions:

TRAVELING COMPANION: If you're traveling with others--particularly if you're traveling with just ONE other person with whom you will spend 24/7 for days at a time--make sure you are truly compatible. Be certain your goals and objectives for the trip are similar. Choose similar priorities and be willing to compromise on the smaller stuff. Understand each other's strengths and weaknesses and plan accordingly. Traveling on this kind of road trip with another person is a lot like being married--albeit a temporary, very short marriage with an agreed-upon and amicable end in sight--which is surely the easiest and safest kind of marriage possible

TRANSPORTATION: If you don't want to put 6,000 or so miles on your car (which we did) or aren't sure your car can handle the possibly tough mountain/icy terrain, rent a vehicle. For two weeks, our rented SUV only cost us just under $700, split between two of us. SO well worth it.

And, point of fact: The morning of the very day we left, I ran to my neighborhood Dollar General for extra dog food, cat litter, and toilet paper for my house-sitter. I came back out to a dead and unresuscitable minivan, which had to be towed to my (now far too familiar) auto place. Sigh. Probably a good thing this didn't happen in the middle of BFE, Montana.

COSTS: Save ahead for the trip, if possible. A couple years ago, we started putting $100 each, every month, into an envelope. We missed several months and stopped totally some months back, when life (Life: Really? WTF?) interfered. But what we did save was enough to cover all our gas and part of our motel expenses.

Choose motels that offer a free breakfast. I'm not a breakfast food fan, but I found enough options to please me and fill me enough so we didn't need to stop for lunch. We brought along a Rubbermaid tub in the backseat--filled with stuff like nuts, beef jerky,and granola bars--that served us well for necessary afternoon snacks and lunches. And occasionally, our lunch was Twizzlers and popcorn. Don't judge us.

DIRECTIONS: Don't just count on your car's GPS, your Garmin, your phone's Waze app, a AAA TripTik, or an atlas. Use ALL of the above. We found ourselves occasionally lost in BFE when one or more of these sources failed us. You need to be able to count on something else--as well as your patience and good humor.

ENTERTAINMENT ON THE ROAD: Bring along lots of music--radio stations are not always available on a desolate highway in Bumf*ck, USA. When you aren't having to pay close attention to routes and traffic patterns, audiobooks are a great option. (Thanks,Tina Fey!) Bring along some tour books to discuss out loud what to look for along the way or destinations ahead.

Also, old-school road games and current Facebook engagement-type topics are perfect traveling fodder. What's your favorite book, movie, dessert, city, etc.? This will make for terrific conversation, and you'll find out things about each other that you never knew.

Of course, in just general conversation, you'll also find out stuff about each other you never would have guessed. For example, that your traveling companion thinks ALL THOSE rock formations resemble penises. My friend Cindy will probably never look at me the same way.

Road trips open doors to new worlds. They change your life. And they change the way you look at life.

Why not broaden your horizons and see what's out there?

Let me know if you have any questions. Happy Travels!

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In Honor of the Pets Who Have Changed Our Lives

Through the years, I've posted quite a bit about Ringo the Wonder Retriever and my fabulous cat collection. In the last year and a half, I lost three of my cats--Snoopy, Sammy, and Cubby--at the ripe old ages of 18, 19, and 20. Losing them was so tough, but damn, did we all have a good run!

Lennon is the last of my feline buddies. I found him ten years ago when he wandered over to the restaurant/bar patio where I was having drinks with a friend. This little guy--still a kitten at the time--was skittish but so hungry and desperate that he survived for months by eating popcorn from bar patrons. Within a couple of days of spotting him, I returned, managed to catch him, and brought him home to enjoy a safe and loving indoor home.

Lennon remained nervous and nocturnal through the years, mainly coming to me for attention and affection during the night. His M.O. was to wait until I was asleep, and then to crawl up and softly paw my cheek to awaken me.

For some reason, he was immediately drawn to Ringo and has adored him ever since. Ringo doesn't know what to make of him, and whenever Lennon tries to cuddle with him, Ringo peers up at me nervously, as if saying, "Umm... What do I do now?"

When Cubby died in February, leaving Lennon as an Only Cat, everything changed. I haven't yet decided whether he misses the other cats or whether he is thriving on being an Only Cat and getting more attention--or maybe it's a bit of both. But he's now frequently by my side, following me into the next room and lying next to me on the couch.

I'm so pleased to finally be able to provide the attention and affection I always wanted to give him. And it's been beneficial to me, too, after losing the other cats who had provided me with great companionship all those years.

Life works in weird and often wonderful ways. Our relationships with our pets help remind us of that.

I'm happy to honor Lennon, the often silent and seldom seen pet, on National Pet Day. Finally, this is his moment! He might not look like it in this photo (Get that camera away from me, Mom), but I'm pretty sure he's awfully pleased.

Any warm and rewarding pet stories you care to share? Please feel free to include a photo!

When It's Time to Change

Change is good.

Change is good.

Change is GOOD, right?

That’s been my mantra through the past several years. Over the last couple of weeks though, I’ve frequently followed it with a whisper of, “This change is GOING to be good. Very, very soon, I’m almost certain.”

My recent move to a new house, in a different city from where I’ve lived for nearly 30 years, has involved some challenges—frustrating at times even for someone like me, who has based much of my midlife on welcoming new circumstances and pursuing new experiences.

Change may be good, but it’s not always easy.

Yet as I sit outside tonight, writing in my new back yard, I feel a sense of starting to settle in. 

 

A new environment, a new lifestyle, and a new journey. 

 

The orchestra of cicadas around me signals the ending of one season and start of a new one. It seems a fitting backdrop for my new life.

 

I’ll take several steps forward and possibly stumble once or twice back, along the way.

In the end, it’s all good, indeed. 

What change in your life awaits you? Are you facing it with a bit of apprehension or are you meeting it head-on?

Still Opening New Doors

Tomorrow, Aug. 15, marks the one-year anniversary of the publication of Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truths and Dares.

While the crazy journey that led to my writing the book changed my life, the past year has been equally filled with incredible new experiences.

Over the past year, I met hundreds of people and forged rewarding relationships at book signings and speaking engagements throughout several states.

Those book events have led to other speaking invitations, including an author panel at a national writers conference as well as motivational speaking engagements for a number of companies and organizations. As I often tell people, it’s dumbfounding that I’ve somehow become a motivational speaker—considering I’ve always been far more of a cautionary tale.

The year was filled with many surprises, including three international book awards. I also received an inquiry from a major production company in Los Angeles, wanting to know if the book’s film and TV rights were available. Sure, that inquiry hasn’t resulted in an actual purchase, but opening that email was a surreal moment I will never forget. (Shout-out to Will Arnett: The rights are still available! And I just might be convinced to have a cameo appearance!)

Yet the greatest highlights have been the reviews, Facebook posts and comments, and personal conversations with people who enjoyed the book. Nothing has been more rewarding than knowing I provided so many readers with a few laughs, a couple of cringes, and an occasional kick in the ass to shake up their own life.

None of this would have happened if I hadn’t taken that first hesitant step into The 52/52 Project, back in the summer of 2013. And then took another step… and yet another…

Did I truly find my badass self? Well, that’s possibly an overstatement. But I’ve surely grown beyond the person I was five years ago.

Tonight, after returning from closing on a new home, I am filled with a combination of anticipation and even a bit of apprehension. By opening this new door—figuratively and literally—who knows where this newest change in my life will take me?

Whether I face a series of unexpected challenges or else just pure serendipity, I’m ready to discover more truths in my life by embarking on many more years of continued dares.

I hope my ongoing journey inspires you, even a bit, to do the same. Thanks to all of you for following along.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor

When did you decide what you wanted "to be" when you grew up?

I was in the third grade when I started writing short stories, poetry, and my very first book. (I'm sure you're all dying to read Shut Up, Cheryl. Sadly, it is not available in bookstores, and I possess the single faded and mildewed copy.)

I knew right then--at the age of eight--that I wanted to do this the rest of my life.

Although I took a long detour from creative writing--not seriously pursuing it until I was forty--I did follow a professional writing path in the fields of journalism and communications.

I realize now this is a bit unusual. Some of us don't decide on a career until after high school or college, when we are forced to make a choice. Others choose one path, only to decide later--perhaps even in midlife--that we have a different calling.

When did you decide on your current or future career? How did you come to this epiphany? Through a personal experience that resulted in a newfound passion? Through a new job that exposed you to different skills and responsibilities? By some fortuitous mistake?

I'd love to hear your story. Please share!

Holy Crap! Hidden Treasure in Your Kitchen (Reprise)

I'm sorting through all my stuff, as I anticipate my move next month. (Don't ask me where I'm going. It's still pending--but things are looking up!)

But my stuff. Good Lord, my STUFF!

It reminded me of the last time I moved, just five short years ago. Here's that story:

HOLY CRAP! HIDDEN TREASURE IN YOUR KITCHEN

I’ve created a new game show I'm just itching to pitch to the Television Powers-That-Be.

Here’s the premise: Contestants receive big bucks for crap stashed away in their kitchen drawers and cabinets. It combines the purse-searching giddiness of "Let's Make a Deal" with the lip-curled disgust of "Hoarders."

I'm calling it, "Holy Crap! Hidden Treasure in Your Kitchen."

The pilot episode took place last weekend in my own kitchen. Sadly, host-of-choice Bob Barker was away for another eye-lift. Therefore, I was forced to play the roles of both contestant and host. The pilot went something like this:

Bob (played by me): "So, Sherry, let's start today's first round! Every kitchen contains a spatula or two. I'll give you $50 for each one you own."

Sherry (rummaging through three different drawers): "Oh, my! Wonder of all wonders, Bob! It appears I own twelve!"

Bob: "TWELVE spatulas? All right, here's $600. You might use it to pay for some therapy for your apparent obsession with the perfect burger-flipper.” (Bob rolls his stitched-up eyes toward camera.) “Let’s move on. So, any outdated medicine bottles in these kitchen cabinets of yours? I’ll give you $100 for each one you can find."

Sherry (pulling bottles and jars from cupboards): "Lookie here, Bob! I happen to have seven, including some vitamins expiring in 2001 and a half-finished vial of antibiotics from 2003! Guess that explains this nagging sinus infection I’ve had all these years."

Bob: "Uh-huh. OK, here's $700 plus an extra $50 to help treat the mutant bacteria festering in your body. Let's raise the stakes with this next one. I'm betting a cool $500 that you don't have a Mexican coin in your silverware drawer."

Sherry: "Oh, you'd lose that bet, Bob. Because right here it is! Funny, considering I've never once used Mexican currency while cooking, and I've never even been to Mexico."

Bob: "Hmm. Quite the well-equipped kitchen you have here. But what are the odds you can root around in that silverware drawer and happen upon a child's plastic toy?" (Bob winks at camera.) "Let's say a tidy sum of $200 for a Playskool Weeble?"

Sherry: "Yes, indeedy! Here's one rocking little Weeble, mixed in with all my mismatched forks and spoons. Still standing after all these years, even though my children are grown and gone. Weebles wobble but they don't fall down, you know. Haha."

Bob: "Fascinating, truly.” (He forks over two $100 bills.) “So you said your children are grown? And no grandchildren yet? Then surely you have no need for a sippy cup in your cupboards. I'll offer you $500 if you manage to produce a sippy cup right here today." (Bob folds his arms smugly.)

Sherry (frowning while tossing dozens of Cleveland Indians and Toledo Mud Hens plastic souvenir cups from shelves): "A sippy cup? Oh. I don't think... hmm... could it be, here at the back... Yes! Not only one but two sippy cups! Plus, a Sesame Street thermos, minus the lid, and oh my gosh, a baby bottle! A baby bottle, Bob, even though my youngest child has graduated from college. Do I get extra prize money for that?"

Bob: "No. You only get paid for the damn sippy cups. Here's your friggin' $1,000.” (He scowls, then turns and beams at the camera.) “And that, thankfully, concludes today's show."

Sherry: "That's it? We’re done? But my cupboards are still full. I have lots of stuff in here. Lots!" (Sherry peers into cabinets.) "How about beer koozies? Ask me about those, Bob!"

Bob: "No, beer koozies are not on the list."

Sherry (counting while piling beer koozies onto countertop): "Four, five, six... Maybe just $25 each? Twelve... thirteen... fourteen..."

The TV crew turns off their cameras and Bob walks away, shaking his head. Even as I comprehend that the game is over, I turn to the counter and study my pile.

Twenty-three beer koozies.

Hot damn—I totally mastered my own game! My hoarding has paid off. At least in my television dreams.

So, I'm planning a huge party when my game show gets picked up by a major TV network. I'll splurge on lobster and filet mignon and, of course, an open bar. You're all invited.

I do hope plenty of you are beer drinkers. It seems I have a few beer koozies to put to good use.

And if you’re a sloppy drunk, I've got you covered. You're getting a sippy cup.

I Get by with a Little Help from My Friends

In December, I was told he would probably live another three months but was unlikely to make it through six.

Six months later, my buddy is still enjoying walks along the river, rides in the car, and summer evenings outside.

If he continues to defy odds, Ringo the Wonder Retriever will celebrate his twelfth birthday in August.

We'll appreciate every single day.



Have any furry friends enriched your life? Photos are welcomed!