Going Solo

Today it finally happened: I collapsed.  I've been expecting it all week, dragging a little more every day, feeling my eyes drooping earlier.  My shoulder has been in pain and my sinuses have been killing me.  Today was the end; I gave up and slept in, and then moved to the couch and slept some more, and then stopped sleeping but stayed on the couch.  I did a little work, but mostly the only productive things I did all day were wash some dishes and take down the Christmas/St. Patrick's Day tree (stop judging me).

The bad news is that, although I feel significantly better than I did yesterday, it would take a few more days of this to recover entirely, and I'm not going to get them.  So far, I'm not such a fan of 2011.  Some good things have happened, and there certainly has not been a dull moment, but it's been pretty brutal between injury, sickness, and my schedule.  I've really got nothing left, energy-wise, and when I went looking for a couple of days to get away in April or May, I found nothing.  Not a single two day stretch that doesn't already have some major event happening that I can't back out of.  Clearly I need to book my vacations more wisely and further in advance.

So, since I can't actually get away now, I decided to look ahead to my next vacation.  It's not going to be a particularly restful one, which I'm starting to question at this point, but it will definitely be interesting.  I'm going to wander around Europe for a couple of weeks after I take a group of church people around Scotland.  I really do mean wander around.  I'm going to a music festival in Germany, but other than that, I have no plans.  I just have to be back for my return flight (and even that may be questionable).  And I think the most relaxing thing I've done all day is search for driving routes and potential destinations, because I reminded myself how much I love traveling alone.  I know it freaks some people out, but I love it.  No one else to worry about, going at my own pace, looking at the things I want to see, ignoring the things I don't, meeting locals, driving on the left without a car full of shrieking maniacs...love, love, love it.  It's three months away, but I can't wait.