I realize it has been quite some time since I last published any sort of piece regarding day trips. The truth is I have been a bit lazy, a bit tired, and a bit defeated in my writing and my personal journey. There is no good excuse for my lack of publishing, but my laziness is not without reason. In fact, I have been on a strange personal journey for quite some time now. The day to day trip that my title refers to is my every day experience. I have found that unlike a trip targeted at a specific event or location, the every day trip can be more rewarding than any place in West Michigan.
My personal journey starts before I ever began writing about day trips. This journey starts when I graduated from college and found myself among the masses of unemployed. I have been seeking some sort of employment now for what feels like an eternity and have suddenly found that even the sporadic day trip is a challenge. Yet now I find myself in a position where even the day to day grind is a bit of challenge. I am in a strange limbo between my childhood and a “real” life. During high school I was promised that an education would lead to the proverbial Promised Land. Yet, here I am still living with Mom and Dad and wondering where I went wrong.
On a daily basis I find that a wide range of emotions seeps into my mind. I am frustrated, determined, angered, grateful, tired, and invigorated at the lack of success and immense potential for success. Don’t let me fool you, I still keep my head up and smile. I have to. I know that my education will pay off and that this is only a small speed bump in the grand scheme of things. But for now, I find myself angry that despite everything I have done; I have yet to find an employer who wants me. Trust me; I’ve been rejected before, but never like this. Usually the rejection involves an attractive female laughing at my feeble attempts and I can handle that. Never before have I been laughed at in that same way by so many old men in business suits.
Ok, so I am certainly exaggerating. Anyone who knows me knows that the employers rejecting me aren’t old or in business suits, adding insult to injury. But, my resolve is higher than ever. I work every day to… well… work. It seems silly that all I want to do is find my way into the daily grind. Yet here I am. On this journey to find what comes next.
So to anybody who might be reading these articles, (it may only be me, I’m not sure…) I apologize and I mean that sincerely. I have become so consumed in working to find work that I forgot about the things I enjoy… like writing. And more than anything, I have found more and more things that I enjoy and found ways of injecting them into my life.
Most of you are probably looking for something to do on a Saturday afternoon. Honestly, I want to find something to do on a Saturday afternoon too. While I have been unable to find the time and more importantly money to take a trip to a great museum or a great event in West Michigan, I have found that some of the best days don’t require lots of time or money. Some of the best days may simply require a quick trip to a friend’s place for some company. One of my favorite days in recent memory involved a day spent with my best friend playing monopoly and cooking dinner for a collection of roommates, significant others, and long-lost friends. Simple companionship in the truest sense of the word can easily remedy ‘itchy-feet,’ a dangerous disease where you want to go anywhere but where you are.
I am sure many of you are now sitting here thinking, ‘this stupid kid is about to pull a cop-out’ and you wouldn’t be wrong. Here I am writing about personal journeys when most of you probably just want a great place to go for the day. However, I felt compelled to publish this piece to apologize to anyone who actually reads this and to use my pulpit to explain that despite the difficult times, there are excellent things to do on a day that don’t require money or time or even driving. The best memories, even those on some of these day trips, are most enjoyed with the company of others. A cup of hot chocolate, a warm blanket, and a good movie are sometimes all the day you need.
Every day I do all I can to find things to keep busy, things to accomplish, and ways to ease the frustration that I have. Some days are better than others. But I am healthy, I have a great family, I have great friends, and one day this will only seem like a speed bump to greater things. Remember that every day trip is simply another day. Make it a great one.
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