The Minnesota Farm Woman

A few years ago, my adult daughter took a family road trip with us for a week and needed two suitcases, two pillows, a Snugli and a backpack. It wasn’t all clothes, of course.  One of the suitcases was filled entirely with shoes and the backpack was overflowing with snacks and books. My husband thinks that clothes for a week’s vacation should fit into an overnight bag, but never forgets his golf clubs  and a cooler the size of Duluth.  Me? I tend to overpack, but always save  room for the treasures I find along the way.

I recently returned from a cousins reunion trip to Las Vegas. I was quite surprised to learn that the airlines now charge you for your luggage.  One bag is usually $25, but that is only for about 40 pounds. Anything over that costs you more.  I packed lightly and carefully, but couldn’t get by on less than three pairs of shoes. I certainly breathed a sigh of relief when the luggage police didn’t charge me more.  I couldn’t have been more nervous had they asked me to step on the scale myself!   Shoes are extremely important in Las Vegas.  A middle-aged Farm Woman has comfort in mind rather than style, so I packed walking shoes, one pair “dressier” than the other, plus a pair of  sandals for wearing around the pool.  Looking around, I saw that most people were just like me. As each day turned into night, however, the shoe styles changed. Dresses got shorter, heels got longer.   I wondered how someone could manage to walk briskly wearing a pair of five-inch stilettos.  Although I did see a few women  more wobbly than others, they all made it.  At least I think they were women.  In Las Vegas, one never knows.  If I hadn’t lost my daily self-imposed allowance on the slot machines, I would have placed one more bet that there were a lot of sore feet and blisters the next day.

We have a fairly small family. As children, we would visit only in the summer or on holidays. We span about 14 years in age, so we were often busy doing our own thing. As adults, it seemed we got together for weddings and funerals, but never just for the sake of being together.  We live in four different states and have busy lives, so it is not easy, and we have planned this event for two years.  We walked, we talked, we laughed.  We drank wine in our pajamas until two in the morning. We caught up on each other’s lives.  We shared happy memories and made some more. We remembered those who are no longer with us. Somehow, I think that I didn’t need to leave  room in my suitcase for those treasures I found along the way. They are right here in my heart, and there’s plenty of room for more.