Day 2

 We got up early and ate breakfast at the hotel. It ended up being one of our better breakfasts. I saw a young man dressed in his army fatigues taking care of his young daughter. A flood of memories came back about Dad, and I found myself in tears. 

We traveled through Missouri and stopped to see the St. Louis Arch. I had never seen it in person. It did not disappoint. We were also impressed with all the beautiful churches we saw in the downtown area and decided we need to return one day. 

We traveled through Illinois and had a “pit stop” at the Indiana Welcome Center, which featured everything Indianapolis 500.  After lunch, I even had an opportunity to slide on a zip line on the kids’ playground. 

Believe it or not, we actually found gas for $2.88 in Indiana. It was the cheapest we found anywhere on our trip. 

I drove the last three hours (the only time I drove the entire trip), and as we got closer to our hotel just outside of Toledo, Ohio, we were wondering if we’d picked the wrong place. It turned out to be just fine, with an Olive Garden being built down the street. You never know. 

It was a little later in the day when we got there, so we decided to eat in the room. So far, we have traveled through six states in two days. 

Day 1

 We started the day by dropping off Ginger and Bluebonnet at the vet. We had dropped Cooper off at Brittany’s the night before. (Little did I know at the time that the act of getting the cat out of the front seat in her carrier would cause me to be in pain for the next eleven days)

We headed for Oklahoma via Hwy 16 and went through Graham and Wichita Falls. It was a beautiful, peaceful drive. I didn't have it in me to travel up I35 for the millionth time. 

We stopped for lunch in Lawton, OK, at the Chick-fil-A. I had lived in Lawton when I was four while my dad was stationed at Ft. Sill. I can't say the town looked familiar. 

We traveled toward Tulsa and made our way into Missouri. We stopped at a Buc-ee's in Springfield. Who knew that Buc-ee's had branched out into other states? We purchased some Beaver nuggets, some mints, and a Mud Pie star pillow for my birthday. 

We made it to St. Robert, Mo, and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, where I fixed some yummy sandwiches (with avocado) for dinner. 

Summer 2026 Roadtrip

 

Earlier this year, I had the idea that it would be really cool to celebrate my 70th birthday in New England during our country’s 250th anniversary. I had turned 20 in New England in 1976 when my family was celebrating the bicentennial. So it seemed like a good idea. 

Unfortunately, I hadn't counted on Chuck having to have surgery on a ruptured bicep a couple of months before. He was in so much pain and was limited to what he could do; I figured we’d better stick a little closer to home this summer. 

Knowing that the Truman Presidential Library was in Independence, Mo., it made more sense not to travel three days away, when one would do just fine. This was the plan for several weeks until Chuck brought up the idea of sticking to our original plan. 

He really wanted me to celebrate my birthday there, and by this time he was doing much better with his arm and assured me he would be up to the drive. 

We made arrangements to board Ginger and Bluebonnet (Brittany would be taking care of Cooper), purchased some comfortable seat cushions for the drive, and stocked up on plenty of snacks. 

I downloaded a couple of novels on the Libby app, and we were good to go. Little did we realize that in the eleven days we were gone, we would travel through nineteen states and see many things new to us. 

Buckle up, and I'll take you along for the ride. 

Five Years

As I look out the window from my writing desk, I'm taken aback by the beauty before me. The green pasture, home to our son-in-law’s herd of cattle, boasts contented cows munching to their heart’s desire while their calves frolick after each other, butting heads playfully. 

How can five years have passed so quickly? I remember that first year when Chuck lived in the city during the week, and I maneuvered life on our 34 acres by myself. Of course, at that time it was much easier. We did not own chickens, a big dog, or a cat. It was only Cooper and me, he being my constant companion. 

In the second year, Chuck began working from home and improving our property. We have come a long way in five years, with new fencing, a remote-controlled gate, and many mesquite trees cleared. Chuck still has many plans for the future state of the Rocking H. 

Five years have brought many adventures, memories, and new friends and acquaintances. We have become part of our community through church, Bible study groups, book club, and retired teachers. I've become a regular volunteer at both the Comanche and De Leon libraries, reading to children. 

I’ve been writing a novel over the last year and have been encouraged by a writing group I've joined. I also attend a monthly writing group at the Comanche library. 

Chuck has retired and is now attending Tarleton to finish his degree. 

Perhaps the best part of our life is living close to our daughter, son-in-law, and three precious grandsons. I've watched the boys 2-3 times a week for the past six years. I'll be watching the youngest this next school year, his last year at home before he starts public school. 

Getting to celebrate milestones with them has been pure joy, and having them stop by to visit warms my Mimi heart. I would not trade these five years for anything. 

When I Wasn’t Looking

 

The other day I pulled into my daughter’s driveway and glanced through the trees to the pasture next door. Corn stalks the size of young children were blowing in the breeze. When did that happen?

I could have sworn it was just the other day they were plowing the field, getting ready to sow the corn for the next season. 

It happened because I wasn't paying attention. I had gotten so used to the field next door that it was no longer a high priority in my day-to-day comings and goings. 

Now in the scheme of life, this particular corn field has very little to do with my life. I don't own the pasture; I'm not a corn farmer, and I'm certainly not responsible for its care or ultimate harvest. 

However, when I finally noticed it, I was bothered by the fact that I had inadvertently overlooked what was literally growing right before my eyes. 

Sometimes life can fall into a predictable pattern, and we might find ourselves not paying attention. I'm going to make a more conscious effort to notice the little things that often get lost in the shuffle. 

The Path of Least Resistance

I've recently come across an idea developed by Robert Fritz in his 1984 book, The Path of Least Resistance.

Last year, I wrote about how our brains naturally conserve energy, avoid pain, and seek pleasure—learning that made me feel a little better about not always following through on my goals. Who am I to go against my natural God-given inclinations, after all? Except, I knew there had to be more to the story.

That’s where the path of least resistance came into play. Just as water naturally flows down the path of least resistance, so do we when it comes to our behavior.  Fritz has a theory of how we can get around this.

Basically, he teaches:

“Your life naturally flows along the ‘path of least resistance,’ determined by the underlying structures you've created-often unconsciously. Change the structure, and your results change.”

What we’ve all probably learned along the way is that discipline and motivation will only go so far. Over time, you will often find yourself returning to old habits, you know, the path of least resistance. Just like that water trickling down a stream, you find yourself rolling back to the habits you tried so hard to change. 

Of course, this can be frustrating, and eventually you might even want to throw your hands up in defeat. 

Except, this time don't. Give yourself a little grace, considering you are hard-wired to seek this path. You know, the old conserve energy, avoid pain, and seek pleasure thing.

Fritz teaches that structure can determine your behavior. Like a rubber band being stretched at both ends, you end up with structural tension between where you are and where you want to be. 

If you can define both places clearly, you are more likely to accomplish your goals. You will be pulling more toward what you want, and like a stretched rubber band, releasing what you don't want. 

However, if your life is driven more by habits that you keep breaking than by a structure you create, you will find yourself repeating these same patterns over and over again throughout the years. 

Often, these structures focus more on what you don't want, not on what you really want to accomplish. 

So what exactly is a creative structure? You need a specific result, an honest assessment of where you are now, and a type of structural tension to bridge the two. This is not motivation or positive thinking. It's actually the structure you set up that propels you toward your goal. 

The first thing you need to do is to choose a clearly defined desired result. Don't fall for the old “I want to eat healthy” routine. It's just not specific enough to help you see results. This is called the primary choice. 

Next, you need to be brutally honest about your current situation. However, this is not an opportunity to shame yourself. Just say it like it is. Your current state is not supposed to be your enemy. It's the other end of the structural tension you are setting up. Remember the rubber band?

Now you have both ends. Where are you, and where are you going? This tension will be what pulls you forward. This is beyond motivation, which more often than not wanes.

At this point, you are ready to take actions that move you toward what you want. Instead of working on what fixes the problem, ask yourself what you can do to move forward. Now you are not just reacting. You are creating the life you really want. 

When our goals are set only to fix a problem, we often get stuck, oscillating between the two ends of the rubber band. Once we begin to feel better, we find ourselves stopping because our brains like to take the path of least resistance, you know, conserving energy. That's when the cycle of starting and failing begins. Eventually, it gets harder and harder to start. 

Unless you can change the structure, the cycle will continue, regardless of your willpower. 

So, where does this creativity come about? It has to do with the decisions you make. These choices help give you the stability and direction you need. The energy to do so will be a consequence of your actions. 

“You become the architect of your life rather than a manager of problems.”

Instead of changing habits, pushing harder, trying to be more motivated, you change the structure. Once you get the structure right, it's just like that trickle of water. The effort becomes more natural. You won't be pushing water uphill anymore—each action you take moves you closer to your result. 

So how can you build a creative-life structure rather than a reactive one?

Early Town Center Boardwalk