Ugh! That's my first reaction.
It's not how I expected to feel about it. When we were more tied down, I dreamed of the day we/I could travel. My first faraway art/craft shows traveling alone (Don still had a regular job) were exciting and a little scary. AAA helped to take away some of the scariness, plus always having a dependable vehicle, plus prayer. I looked forward to hiking or exploring new areas, like the Appalachians or historic neighborhoods.
The element of loneliness was there, though, and after travel became more old hat, it became more of a factor. I'd plan for it: outdoor activities, catching up on good books, restaurants, just time alone to feed the introvert side.
However, at some point it became ugh! Here are some factors:
* This is Numero Uno: the dogs looked so sad when I pulled out the suitcases. I felt sad about leaving them, too!
* Travel is hard on the human body. One summer I traveled so much it engendered problems with my IT band that required physical therapy.
* No matter how good the reputation of the show, it could turn out to be an off year for sales, the weather could totally not co-operate, the show promoter could stick me in a bad spot, or it just wasn't my market. (Think gambling)
* The flow of work in the studio is disrupted.
* I do fairly well maintaining a good diet, but it still suffers and so does my exercise routine.
* If sales are disappointing, I can feel frustrated with the waste of time and money (gambling).
* The garden suffers, even when someone is in charge of watering it.
* The house suffers, at least the cleaning part.
* It takes a day or longer to recover - especially if we were at low altitude with humidity for 2+ weeks - to get used to how high and dry Colorado is.
* After all this, I came to the conclusion that I am a homebody. Don is, too. The dogs are, too.
I still apply to shows that require travel, but only if they're topnotch. This year, for the first time in 20 years, we are planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest that has no shows involved. I wonder what that will be like.
It's not how I expected to feel about it. When we were more tied down, I dreamed of the day we/I could travel. My first faraway art/craft shows traveling alone (Don still had a regular job) were exciting and a little scary. AAA helped to take away some of the scariness, plus always having a dependable vehicle, plus prayer. I looked forward to hiking or exploring new areas, like the Appalachians or historic neighborhoods.
The element of loneliness was there, though, and after travel became more old hat, it became more of a factor. I'd plan for it: outdoor activities, catching up on good books, restaurants, just time alone to feed the introvert side.
However, at some point it became ugh! Here are some factors:
* This is Numero Uno: the dogs looked so sad when I pulled out the suitcases. I felt sad about leaving them, too!
* Travel is hard on the human body. One summer I traveled so much it engendered problems with my IT band that required physical therapy.
* No matter how good the reputation of the show, it could turn out to be an off year for sales, the weather could totally not co-operate, the show promoter could stick me in a bad spot, or it just wasn't my market. (Think gambling)
* The flow of work in the studio is disrupted.
* I do fairly well maintaining a good diet, but it still suffers and so does my exercise routine.
* If sales are disappointing, I can feel frustrated with the waste of time and money (gambling).
* The garden suffers, even when someone is in charge of watering it.
* The house suffers, at least the cleaning part.
* It takes a day or longer to recover - especially if we were at low altitude with humidity for 2+ weeks - to get used to how high and dry Colorado is.
* After all this, I came to the conclusion that I am a homebody. Don is, too. The dogs are, too.
I still apply to shows that require travel, but only if they're topnotch. This year, for the first time in 20 years, we are planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest that has no shows involved. I wonder what that will be like.
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