With Every Thought

Arrive at your destination with, no clothes. Yes, you read that right.  Here is the challenge.  Pack your suitcase with only your undergarments and necessities. Maybe even skip on the jewelry too. When you arrive at your destination, go to a thrift store or a local boutique, and purchase clothes to wear while you're on your vacation. You'll leave with items that aren't your regular souvenirs. When you're home and you're wearing those times you'll remember your trip and you might even cherish those items when they bring back fond memories.  Will you take this challenge? 

Familiar smells and sounds.  The smell of rain on the pavement.  The sound of snowplows in the midst of the night.  The smell of my college perfume. Bringing me flashbacks to broken hearts, cheap alcohol, all-nighters "studying," and endless amounts of crying on the floor.  Hearing little footsteps on hardwood floors. Hearing giggles with tiny teeth showing.  The scent of pumpkin pie and burnt bread during the holidays.  The scent of fresh coffee at the local coffee shop.  Walking down the aisles of a store and smelling a scent that reminds me of my experience in the Navy. These flashbacks 101 days stream so fastly in my mind in seconds. That makes a long-lasting depressing feeling for hours.

Emma clears her throat as she rolls down the window of her all-black Dodge Charger. "Hi, I'm detective Em..." "License!" Barked back a young man suited in a green camo uniform. Glancing at his uniform she notices his surname is Taylor. Emma notes that he looks identical to the young man behind him. As she reaches down to unclasp her badge, Taylor reaches over an aggressively grabs her badge out of her hand. She can hear clone two wrestling with a clipboard. Breathing deeply to calm down, Emma glances at Taylor and clone number two and studies their every move. Taylor grabs the clipboard out of clone two's hands, as clone two came in a closer view. Emma can see his name patch, Val. "You're not permitted Ma'am," Taylor said in a stern response.  "Taylor, before you so nicely interrupted me before I was going to explain why I'm here. So now I'll start over." Emma says with confidence and no hesitation. As Taylor shifted his w

My chest is heavy, it is hard to get a deep breath. I feel like crying but, the effort is exhausting. I want to sleep but I'm too restless. I want to be productive but, I can't get satisfied with a topic or item to begin. I want to do something anything but I have no motivation. I have these waves of emotions really highs and very deep lows and distant memories that tug at My heart and shatter it back to how it was before. Constant darkness and hurt brought to the surface and feelings of not feeling welcomed or as if I don’t belong where I’m at.  I was a happy kid. I enjoyed my childhood. Like almost everyone. However, my happiness changed in high school. Everything changed, even I changed.  High school. I had this friend, let’s call her A. For the four years of high school our friendship was either two things it was we were either the best of friends or worst enemies. No in-between. This continued all of the four years. To this day, we haven’t spoken in almost three years.  Ye

This afternoon, I was doing yard work, and while glancing at the sky, some birds caught my attention, they were chirping on the power lines. Thinking to myself, of all places, you're here. In my back yard. Why? You have wings and could go anywhere? And yet you're here. Then right as those words came off of my lips, I scoffed. Wings! If only there were these metal objects that can either drive or fly me anywhere I would like to go.  Thinking to myself, Cindi, would you want to be somewhere else? As I began to daydream about being on a yacht in the Medatraiean or biking on the coast of the outer banks. Huffing to myself, keep dreaming and got right back to doing yard work.  When I grow old, I want to have never-ending great memorable stories to tell my grandkids and even the other residents in the nursing home. Why not? What is stopping me from going to these places you only see in advertisements, on tv or as prizes on game shows.  Do I have to follow the same direction as the

Some of the most consecutive things that are on my bucket list mainly revolve around traveling. I have already fallen in love, made an adorable little bundle of joy and many other things. So all that remains are places to go. I would love to go to Alaska because of it being commonly known as the "last frontier." Paris, for some reason I am obsessed with the Effiel tower. I have a hundred tiny little figures and photos it laying around my house. The Great Wall of China, I would love to walk this entire length. I believe this would be a memorable experience. However, I know it will be nearly impossible because of its length. Hawaii, The beautiful island, scuba diving, hiking, and eating all the fruit is what I would do there. Greece, Mama Mia, and Sisterhood of the traveling pants those movies have made an impact on my life for becoming slightly obsessed with wanting to go here. When thinking about going to Greece who wouldn't want to go? Tokyo, pay a little weird I am ob

Over Memorial Day weekend my parents, my darling daughter Charlotte and I went to the eastern shore of Virginia. It was a much-needed vacation, my mother is an essential worker and the stress of what was going on in the world was maxing out our anxiety.  I drove the entire way from Pennsylvania to Virginia towing our pop up camper. We arrived in the middle of the day at my uncle's house, a town outside of Chincoteague island. After setting up our camper. We began our usual tourist vacation routine. Driving around scoping out what was open and what was new. With a list in hand and yelp reviews read, we were ready to take on this small island. With all businesses and visitors listening to social distancing guidelines, lines were long and businesses were overwhelmed and packed.  The weather was either warm accompanied by mosquitoes or windy and cold. There was no in-between but I’m not complaining I enjoyed both temperatures and packed for both.  The first meal of my vacation was shri