Hubs and I dreamed of the day we could retire and travel all of the time. Although I still have a little bit to go before retirement, I am rethinking the travel dream. A few years back, I was beyond excited to be traveling to Virginia to visit my son and daughter-in-love! I could not wait to see my kiddos, tour the area and check out neighboring Washington D.C. Admittedly, I was a tad bit anxious about traveling the eleven plus hour road trip with Hubs, but little did I know that I was about to discover a very hard truth; we do not make good traveling companions.
They say opposites attract and I agree. In fact, 38 years (and counting) validates that theory. However, opposites do not travel well together. This road trip proved to be an eye-opening experience as our stark differences boiled to surface.
Traveling doesn't have to super expensive is my motto. However, road trips have the power to transform Hubs into a Diamond Jim Brady spendthrift. Only forty-five minutes in, when he says, "I'm going to stop for coffee." Seriously, we just had coffee before we left.
As far as the driving, it is no secret that our driving styles are drastically different. I have yet to understand the reasoning of being in the opposite lane needed "until you get closer" mindset. Of course, when the exit is .05 miles on the right, we are always in the far-left lane, go figure. That's when the fussing begins, "That idiot won't let me merge". Before the "idiot" encounter, hubs argued with the navigation system which kept telling him to stay in the right lane. On the flip side, my continuous "I told you 20 minutes ago to get over", doesn't quite seem to help. Yeah, fun times, fun times.
Hub's loves to pass, but why is he perfectly content with passing AT the speed limit. Okay, so this may be the legal way to pass, I get it. Nevertheless, I would much prefer him to pass fast (if absolutely necessary) and be done with it. Hanging out, side by side, with a semi is just not my cup-o-tea. To add salt to nervous wound, Hubs tends to cut the passing thing a little too close for my comfort and becomes exasperated with my outbursts of "WATCH IT, THERE'S A CAR COMING!" Taking his eyes off the road to look at me to respond, "STOP IT! DON'T DO THAT!" Nothing nerve racking about that, right?
Add in the hot button topic of music and now you have a show. Being married to a musician, I understand he hears instrumentation. He fails to recognize that as a writer, I hear words. He likes to listen to rock tunes from the 80's and jazz. Me, I like country or classical. To make matters worse, Hubs doesn't quite understand my ability to know all of the words to EVERY song. I'm fully aware that I can't sing, but I like to do it anyway. The combination of singing and scanning for songs I like seems to annoy Hubs. Out of nowhere, he'll screech, "just pick a station and stick with it." After another pitstop, he will connect his phone to play downloaded instrumental tunes. Obvious? Not.
As we ventured closer to our destination, we decided not to listen to any music for a bit, so we decided to talk. What could go wrong? Our conversations gravitated towards work, bills, and things that needed to be done around the house .....when we get back. This conversation just left Hubs grumpy and me disillusioned.
In what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived in Virginia. Surprisingly, we were somewhat speaking to each other. While we enjoyed our stay, all too soon it was time to make that dreaded return trip home. Yes, we made it, but suffice it to say, it was a very long trip. Since that trip we have concluded that all future long-distance travels will be by plane. We have concluded flying will be much cheaper than a divorce!
Add comment
Comments