Message of the Day - The Big Trip Accomplished with Lessons Learned

Good Morning,

 

I am back in Louisville after an action packed 4^th of July weekend! As many of you know I was preparing, with my sister, to bring my Mom back from Mexico to Louisville, KY. I am happy it is over (we arrived safely last night), and a new phase of our lives has started. This trip has consumed my mind and spare moments of thought for the last month. (I thank everyone who heard me endlessly rant about the trip for bearing with me). Below are some bits of wisdom or lessons learned that are fresh on my mind from the trip.

 

• When I checked the weather report, it showed 50% or more chance of Thunderstorms over the entire trip (From San Antonio, TX, to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, to Houston, TX, to Texarkana, TX to Nashville, TN to Louisville). I admit, I whined about that. It turned out that there were one or two thunder bumpers, but for the most part, it was mostly a rainless drive. Prepare for the worst and be happy when it does not happen.

 

• I was not sure where I was going to meet my Mom, Sister and her boyfriend in Mexico. I looked at maps, and called the local visitors bureau, but kept fretting. They found an easy to find hotel on a main road, and sure enough, it was easy to find. Sometimes you do not have to know everything, and can rely on others to lead the way.

 

• Driving a rental minivan full of 4 people, a dog and cat in kennels and back filled from floor to roof with stuff up to the border crossing with my Mom not having been in US for over 8 years, I expected us to be moved to secondary and have the vehicle disassembled. When we came to the guard, I told him the story of why we were there, showed him all of our paperwork, including the note from the car rental company saying it was okay for me drive that van into Mexico. I told him about my Mom’s health, and when he came around to look at my Mom, she (looking like someone who has dropped a lot of weight in a short period of time) said something goofy which accentuated my point. My honesty and somewhat clear explanation of this weird situation at the border helped us go through without a hitch. Honesty is the best policy.

 

• During our drive out of Laredo TX along US 59 we hoped to reach George West (about 2 hours away from Laredo, and 4 hours from Houston). We stopped in Freer, TX for something to eat, and promptly found ourselves on Texas route 44 (we don’t know how we lost US 59, it just changed….). Having followed Karen’s advice, I had a Trip Tik from AAA along with several maps and guidebooks. Using the maps, we found an alternative way to our destination, and stayed in George West that evening. It pays to research and prepare for what you have to do, because when trouble rears its head, it is those who are prepared who will have the least trouble dealing with the situation.

 

• I like playing the bubble burst game on my pocket pc. It has some strategy and luck elements and helps clear my mind. On the week leading up to the trip, I had one game where I kept starting to play, but did not commit to a single move because I did not see anything of them bringing me the high scores. After about 10 attempts over the course of several days (I play two to three times a day or so) I realized that in my attempt to get a high score, I had no score, having taken no actions. You have to take that first step and then make the most of it or else you just sit there at the starting line.

 

• During one of the stretches of road, I called a friend who happened live out there (many hours from my home). It was a short hello, how are you. He gave me a heads up on some construction further down the road and thanked me for the call. When you are out in the middle of nowhere, you may often find that if you look around, you really are not alone.

 

Enjoy and thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

502-533-9336

 

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