Missy and I drove down last night from our house in Virginia to visit our friends Kevin and Kacie in South Carolina. There was a huge storm coming through the area as we drove, Hermine.
We were prepared. We had good rain jackets in the car, plenty of snacks, a full tank of gas, and most importantly, a shared sense of adventure and patience. We knew we wanted to get there, but it didn't matter how long it would take.
Missy started us off, letting me rest for the first leg of our trip. At a certain point, the rain was very heavy, the traffic slow, and visibility poor, so we got off the highway, and pulled off on a dark country road to switch places.
As we drove, we listened to a great audiobook, John Scalzi's Old Man's War. We talked about all sorts of things, everything and nothing, in that way that only people who love one another very much can do.
We stopped for french fries.
We talked about our dreams.
It was long, tiring, and entirely great.
Missy and I have been together for almost twelve years, married for almost nine of them. There's a Lao-tzu saying I love, "a good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent upon arriving."
I'm loving the trip so far.