sometimes all you need is a full tank of gas and a good friend…or two…
ready for a little adventure…go on a road trip…
“Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” ~ Ernest Hemingway
I think sometimes all we need to fix whatever ails our soul is a road trip. I love spending time with friends. I also like to see new places and experience things I have never experienced before. Doing all of these things together at the same time can sometimes be life changing. It all depends on who you brought along for the ride.
I’ve heard it said a time or two that it doesn’t matter where you go, it’s who you have beside you on your journey. I don’t know who said it but they were right. I don’t care if you are going on a road trip or just life in general, the people who are beside you on your journey can truly change your life. And having the “right” people with you can make all the difference.
Just this past week I went on a “road trip” to Virginia. A friend and I rode there together to a mutual friends house and stayed there for 3 days. Our friend has a beautiful house in a lovely setting with a creek and woods behind it, which lends itself to wonderful sunrises and sunsets. We hiked, went sight seeing, visited wineries and of course we went out to eat. It was a wonderful time, beautiful weather and so much fun. But all of that aside, it was the two friends and the time we spent together that really made the trip special. It was the time we spent talking about our lives and the things going on in our lives that made this trip what it was. Amazing.
I loved visiting the wineries and doing wine tastings. We all enjoyed this and each of us liked different wines. I think friendships are kind of like fine wine. Sometimes the friendship has to sit a bit, has to age until it is ready. Ready to be what it was meant to be. This weekend showed me our friendship was ready. To have friends that you are able to share your deepest thoughts with and not be judged or fear it will be passed along to others is a rare thing these days. How many people can truly share their deepest secrets and not be afraid of how it will be taken or that one day you will have it come back to haunt you?
If you follow me(and you should, by the way) you know I write a lot about friendship. The reason why is because of how much I value the friends I have. Having lost so much family has made me value them even more. We all need friends. Some people only have one or two and that is fine. Even one true friend can make a difference in your life. I am blessed to have so many wonderful friends in my life. People who continually lift me up and help me through the hard times. I only hope I give some of that back. If I have given one small amount of what has been given to me than my life has been worth it.
After a long day of hiking and walking in the cool fall air we would sit at my friends kitchen table and chat about the things we did that day. Someone would bring up something funny we said or did and we would bust out laughing. This was the best part of the day. There we were, sitting there together eating apple streusel out of the bowl together and laughing. I looked around the table and fully realized what I had in these women.
As I drove home from my friends house I thought about the 3 days we spent together and I smiled the whole way home. What I gained from this trip can not be measured by how much fun I had in Virginia, and don’t get me wrong we had a lot of fun. What I gained from this road trip was how much my life had been enriched by simply spending time with these girls. I have spent time with them before, but I felt something different this time… something had changed. Maybe it was the one on one time we had together or maybe it is the fact we are getting older. But it felt like something had shifted. We are more like sisters than friends. We are joined together by something that can’t really be explained. Nor does it need to be.
Everyone should go on a road trip with a friend.. or two. Have you ever and where did you go?
” A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.” ~ Tim Cahill
OMG!!!! I love this post! And to answer your question I most definitely went on a “random” unplanned road-trip with a very good friend of mines. Crazy thing tho I had just met her, she was a (Gem)ini just like myself and we just clicked from the moment we met. She was going on a trip to South Carolina and being that I love to travel and explore new places as well and never been there before I yelled out “I WANNA GO!” lol It was the best experience I have ever had. I mean we weren’t in the city it felt more like a plantation but still it was awesomeee! We met some really cool people from the neighborhood and gotten to know each other on a deeper level having plenty of one on one time and good laughs. I always tell her I wanna go back again with her! I’ve learned that you don’t always need to plan to travel or save up money for months! When the opportunity is presented I just get up and go! Wow this post has brought me back!!! Thanks so much for sharing! 😀
I am so glad you enjoyed my post and that you had experienced the same type of trip yourself. There is no better way to get to know someone than by traveling with them. It sounds like you had an awesome time. Thank you for sharing your story with me.
I love that you can meet someone for the first time and know they will be a friend for life! So blessed I have you as on of those friends.
I am blessed to have you Edie! And yes we will be friends for life!
Our Father would say lets go for a ride and we would take food and have no idea where we were going, but it was family and we did not care. Rides to anywhere is a great way to get to know each other.
That is wonderful Sharon…what a great time you must have had on those trips…
Before I became a caregiver to my mom my husband and I used to take amazing road trips either alone or with a couple of friends. I miss those times so much. We’ve done several cross country trips. One of these days we’ll hit the road again. For now, I can wait.
Yes Rena, it will be even more wonderful when you do it!
I could use a road trip RIGHT NOW. sigh.
Michelle, Lets go!
Sounds like a fabulous few days! Girlfriends are wonderful and important. I lost a 30+ year girlfriend last year. I still find myself ready to pick up the phone for a chat and to make plans. The price of getting old is loosing friends you thought you would get older with together.
Haralee..YES! And that is why I want to spend more and more time with them…you never know when you will lose someone….
I say this about pictures when I travel, get the scenery, but be sure to get the people in there too. Because trips are fun but the people you travel with are the icing on the cake.
So true Karen! Thank you…
Friendships have certainly become richer for me as I’ve hit midlife. I think I’ve pared them down to the ones I hold as truly valuable and worth investing in. They reciprocate and we have such a great time whenever I get together with any of them. (BTW I’m hoping that photo at the top is of you and your VW – or at least your mental picture of yourself!)
Well Leanne, I did have a green VW as my first car and I was… or thought I was a hippie back in the day! LOL..
I’m going to be visiting an old friend this month who I haven’t connected with since college. It’s one of the highlights that I’m looking forward to on my trip. I agree, the journey is so much better with great friends to enjoy it with.
I hope you have a wonderful time Judy! It is all about the people you are with and how you share your life with them.
Friends are connected heart to heart, distance and time can’t break them apart is one of my favorite quotes. We all have friends in our lives who may not live in the same city or town, yet we can pick up the phone and instantly pick up where we left off. What a great feeling to have such a special connection with our friends. Luckily, my best friend and I take a few road trips a year, sometimes we just pick a state to explore, no reservations or plans, just winging it as we go. We have had the best adventures, filled with good food and drinks, lots of laughter and girl talk on our road trips. I wish everyone could take a road trip with their friends and truly enjoy this special time together.
So glad you enjoyed your trip because Virginia was one of our pick a state to explore destinations. Lots of history, breathtaking scenery and a ton of wineries!
Thank you Myrna, and I did so enjoy my trip! We all need to do this with our friends.
I’m so glad your Road Trip was a success! Just getting away from routine with people you care about is a blessing!
You sound refreshed and renewed!
I’m going on a Road Trip at Thanksgiving with my best friend and my dog! Since this is not our year to have Thanksgiving we are choosing to ‘get away’! I will like not being in my house without family!
I’m sure you’ve got a plethora of ideas from your friends for your next blogs!
It was a wonderful time Joanie! And you are right I am refreshed and renewed. I had a great time and hope you do too! We all need time away…
Last one was with 3 gals I now call best friends because we went to rehobeth together a few months ago. They were just casual friends before but after 4 days and nights of constant chatter and laughing we’re now bffs. I am lucky too to have many friends. So glad you had a great time. It sounds wonderful. Glad too I call you FRIEND ❤️❤️
Thanks Susie! Friends are a wonderful thing, so glad we both have so many…and I am glad to call you mine too! <3