Gather ye Rosebuds, painting by John William Waterhouse

You’ve heard the expression, right? You probably didn’t know its title, which is To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.

Virgin or not, everyone can appreciate the reminder to seize the day, to live in the moment, to do all we can while we can.

And boy, does that take on new meaning after midlife.

“You guys travel a lot,” someone said to me last month.

That’s right, we do. We do it while we have the good health, the mobility, the time and the money to do it.   We don’t have a “bucket list,” not exactly, but we discuss the places we’d like to go, mostly when we walk Riley.

Some trips will have to wait for more stable world conditions

Egypt and Africa remain on our To Go list, and will stay there until things stabilize in those countries. Which is to say that we may never get to Egypt, which is a pity. It’s my husband’s last “really want to go” place.  We had a trip booked a few years ago, and then Arab Spring hit and our spring plans changed. We could have gone–the pyramids were like a ghost town and we would have had the place to ourselves. But why risk it? We still feel that way.

Ok, I hear you. You’re going to say that people travel to these places all the time. Or maybe you’ll tell me that you have traveled there recently.  I get it. But right now, we’re squeamish about it.  Oh, I’d love to go–it’s been a year since our last real exotic vacation–India–and two years since Morocco. We both agree that those trips were the most fascinating and best of our lives. We’d like to take a similarly different trip.  But right now, well…not so much.

We’re staying home. Sort of.

We’re staying in the US this coming year. One of my “nephews” is here for the second half of January and then we’ll speed up to NYC mid-February to cheer Rocky on as he makes his second appearance at the Westminster Dog Show.  Two of his offspring are making the dog show rounds and they’re also high achievers. We hope one of his sons will be in NYC (but not showing at Westminster) while we’re there so we can meet him. He looks gorgeous!

A kitchen/family room remodel starts when we return and will probably take three months. Which will be the longest I’ve stayed in one place for a very long time–I’m an itchy-footed girl. But I’m excited about the remodel.

As soon as it’s done (God willing) I am off to the Afterlife Conference in Virginia in June.  It’s now on my must-do list every year.  Here’s the link.

Girlfriend and I are ginning up a trip through Utah beforehand, though.

While M and I both been to Alaska separately, we’ve never been together. That’s our July destination and our cruise will be 10 days. Why again? Because we are fans of all the Alaska TV shows and will enjoying seeing the sights again, together.   And since it’s a state, it’s within our agreed-upon boundaries for 2015.

We might have some family with us for a summer visit, and a friend in Sept. but once October hits we are packing up Riley and our stuff and spending an entire month in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Now THAT is going to be a fun time. Riley is a good car traveler and the cool house we rented is happy to have him.  Our Santa Fe friends are great companions and it’ll be great to be able to have them over for dinner, etc.  The house is magical and I can’t wait to post photos of it.  Day of the Dead celebrations hit just before we leave for home in early November, and I’m dying to participate. Hehehe–dying, get it?  I know. I know. You get it.

Even as I look at our plans they seem….lacking. Missing something.  Wanderlust is in my blood and I’m never happier than when I’m seeing new landscape.

So yes, we travel a lot.  We’re gathering rose buds while we may, and our cup hasn’t runneth over. Not yet.

Here’s the poem.

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
   Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
   Tomorrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, 
   The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
   And nearer he’s to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
   When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
   Times still succeed the former. 

Then be not coy, but use your time,
   And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
   You may forever tarry.