I have five sons. One of them has a job that requires him to travel to different states. You don’t know how happy this makes me! Not only do I get to bask in the knowledge that my son has grown up to be a really amazing man who is appreciated and trusted by other men for his skills and work ethic, and who gets to travel, but I get to live vicariously through him.

Of course , it goes without saying that I love and am proud of all of my sons. I am so blessed!

But this one, he brings me news from outside my little kingdom that is pretty much the same day after day. The funny thing is there was a time I worried about him because he was so shy and didn’t talk much. He actually didn’t start talking at all until he was almost three years old, right after his little brother was born. He is still the same, but it has not held him back like I thought it would. His friendly smile, generous spirit, rugged good lucks, perfectionism, and ability to learn quickly have made up for any lack of talkativeness.

Like me, he is curious about the world, so he has enjoyed his travels. So far he has been to Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, a town near Boston, Tennessee, and North Carolina, I think that’s it. Not super exotic, but different than Texas. I think his favorite places have been Boston and Michigan. He got a kick out of those funny accents! And the snowmobiles in the Michigan UP caught his eye. In Oregon he worked on a Coast Guard boat in the Columbia River, and he thought that was a beautiful place. I agree.

This kid is a picky eater so he always tells us about the good and bad restaurants he visits. So far, he is not very impressed with most of them. He has made some friends at the places he has visited more than once. Unfortunately, he usually works the night shift so he doesn’t get to do much sightseeing, but he still humors me with as many local color stories as he can. He is usually worn out when he gets home from flying back into the city, driving out to the country, but he kindly gives me a little news from outside before he passes out in his room.

“How was your trip? How was the flight? Did you get upgraded to First Class? You look tired. Do you want anything to eat? What was the Covid situation like there? Was the plane full? I’m glad you’re home. Go get some rest.”

And the rest of the story will have to wait until he wakes up. For now, I will just imagine that I am the one flying to Oregon and my family is waiting at home for news from outside.