Undisclosed Location

There are times at which I'm not very good at listening to that little voice in my head. You know--the one that serves as your conscience and better half. That little person sitting in the back of your consciousness that tells you in a dispassionate and unerring voice when you are doing something you shouldn't or when you aren't doing something you should.

Most of the time, I try to listen. Sure, there are many times I haven't--and usually lived to regret it. Sometimes the voice screams (during the times I'm least likely to take the advice) and there are times when the voice is so quiet that it can barely be heard over the humdrum of daily life.

Too often, I don't listen when my conscience talks to me in these hushed tones. I'd always equated the quiet advice to be of less importance. I'm slowly starting to realize the opposite.

So, the other week when I heard that little voice tell me "you need some time away", I decided to explore what that meant. And it didn't take me long to figure out what I needed. I needed a little time away from *everything*. I needed time away from everyone and everything. No people. No noise. None of the technological trappings that filled much of my daily life. No way to find me.

The end result of which became this weekend.

Friday: 4:30 PM
I pack-up and walk out of my cubicle. Even before I hit the parking lot, I've put my phone into "Airplane Mode". Just that little act is already making me less stressed. No calls, email or Internet allowed this weekend.

6:30 PM

It will be too late for dinner by the time I make it to my destination, so I stop off at the side of the road for some food and gas.

It reminds me of taking road trips as a kid. Parents stuffing their pajama-wearing children into over-stuffed vehicles--a couple of pillows being the only thing separating them from coolers stuffed with Cokes and sandwiches. Boy Scouts in the church's van. Bleary-eyed truckers carrying around comically large jugs of coffee.

I can smell the rain coming in.

7:30 PM
After a couple of last-minute wrong turns (the GPS can't get me where I'm going), I finally reach my destination--a fishing shack on a small pond in the middle of nowhere.

I get out of my car and turn on my flashlight when I realize the the batteries haven't been changed for a couple of years and it's barely giving off any light. When I look down the pier to the cabin, a vision of every backwoods slasher horror movie I've ever seen runs through my head.

After I get settled in my new home for the weekend, I make some of my homemade hot chocolate (the secret is a pinch of cayenne pepper when making the mix). It's too dark to do anything else, so I settle in and read Neil Gaiman's Coraline.

Saturday Morning

I look outside and see that I've got alternative transportation home if I need it.

A massive (for South Texas) cold front came through last night. I don't remember the last time I've heard wind that fierce. And as I step outside, the wind is still blowing strong and the temperature has dropped to somewhere in the 40's.


After a little coffee and breakfast (eggs and sausage), I decide to get a good look at this place in the daylight.


Ah, perfect. Can't you just feel the quiet?

Anyway, because of the cold and wind, being outside is not too pleasant. So I spend most of the day inside catching up on reading. (but mostly enjoying the complete silence)


The wind starts to die down in the late-afternoon sun. So I take my chance and move outside for a couple of hours. But once the sun sets, the wind picks back up and I move back inside.

It amazes me how slow time moves when there aren't any distractions or demands in my life.


I end the night by finishing off Neverwhere. (I didn't mean for it to be a Neil Gaiman weekend--those where just a couple of the unread books I pulled off the shelf)

At one point, I bundled up (it was back to windy and cold) and spent a few minutes sitting outside. I really miss the stars. I wanted to see the Milky Way. I even spotted Orion.

Sunday Morning


This morning brought a picture-perfect sunrise.

After some breakfast (PB&J and an apple), I get in a little sight-seeing.


But other than some horses, cows and a heck of a lot of trees, there's not much to see. I guess that was the point.

While I didn't have to leave until 3:00, I realized that I was done. I'd gotten what I needed out of the weekend. I packed up and started back home.