Tonight, I’m reporting from…oh, wait, I guess “reporting” isn’t really the appropriate word, is it.

Tonight, I’m blogging from my daughter’s living room in beautiful San Diego while kittens, cats and puppies jingle jangle through the house.  Everything must be investigated, sniffed, licked and tested for durability before anyone is allowed to rest.

I began today’s adventure with a ride on the Pacific Surfliner (train, for those unfamiliar with my neck of the woods), where I wiled away the four hour trip, alternately checking sites on my iPad, reading a little of “Homer’s Odyssey”, meditating, and chatting with a lawyer who used the train to commute from San Diego to L.A. when he needed to attend a trial out of town.  He professed to preferring this mode of travel and I can see why.  Although it might take longer than a car ride and require you to adhere to someone else’s timetable, once on the train, you can just relax and enjoy the scenery instead of fighting traffic for anywhere from 2 to 4 hours, on average.  Yes, even with my AAA discount, it’s a bit pricier than the gas it would take to drive, but frankly, I enjoyed the stress-free trip and it seemed to go much more quickly while I occupied myself with pleasurable pursuits.

Today, I rode on the lower level, and found myself riding backwards all the way, but the maiden voyage is always a learning experience.  On my return trip, I plan to find a seat on the upper level and make every attempt to find a seat facing forward (it’s so hard to tell when you get on the train which direction you’re really headed.  I thought I was going forward, but found I had erred.)

The ADHD so common in my posts may be amplified tonight, as my daughter’s three month old ginger siblings seem to find the makeshift desk I’ve rigged to be almost as fascinating as the suitcase which is sitting on the ottoman.  In between battles on the bed and floor, they are taking turns jumping on my desk to investigate.  At one point, when I left the iPad unattended and the keyboard turned on, I returned to find that someone had taken it upon themselves to do a little typing of their own!

Both little bundles of energy wear collars with bells, so their antics have musical accompaniment which, if nothing else, will make them easy to locate should they fail to wind down before I do!

At any rate, I left my own little darlings in the care of a friend who will give them breakfast for the next couple of days and otherwise check on their well being until I return.  In true cat fashion, Mr. Dylan, in particular, tried to tug on my guilt chain by looking as woebegone as possible when I was saying goodbye.  I assured him that treats would still be forthcoming, but the head he likes to sleep on would be absent for a couple of days.  He hung his head in apparent misery, though I know that he and his siblings will be fine until I return.

(another moment of distraction as I watched the male ginger furry race madly around the room alternately chasing and carrying a blue mylar poof).

I’m looking forward to a few not very relaxing days, running around San Diego with my daughter and son-in-law, running up the steps on my Fitbit (today was over 8,000 despite the 4 hours of sitting!), and exploring some of the many local attractions.  We’ll round out our week with a Brad Paisley concert on Thursday night before I head home to assure my furry children that they have not been abandoned.

Though this might seem pretty tame to most people, especially those who have been jetting off to Europe this year, leaving home for a few days is something I do only on rare occasions, so for me, this is another adventure, and another giant step outside of my comfort zone.  

In true, ADHD style, before I close, I want to raise one more point which camne up in conversation this week.  As I’ve mentioned before, I am an Empath.  I also have a very high tolerance for pain.  This is also true of my daughter.  In conversation with a friend this week, he raised the possibility tha the two are, in fact, related.  As it made a great deal of sense, I am going to be querying other empaths over the next few weeks to see if the theory holds.  I welcome all contributions to this effort.

My gratitudes tonight are:
1. I am grateful for opportunities to step outside my comfort zone.
2. I am grateful for an exciting, busy, fun-filled with with my daughter and son-in-law.
3. I am grateful for the chance to see my grand furries.
4. I am grateful for the new ideas which can surely come from venturing outside of my usual stonping grounds.
5. I am grateful for the relationship with my daughter which makes adventures like this possible.

Love and light.