I am blessed to have homes in two States - one might say a summer home and a winter home, or a working home and a vacation home. Depending on what I need to be getting on with, I tend to travel back and forth a lot, and fortunately, they are close enough that I can 'commute' easily.

Since I work mostly from home these days, I can take my work with me, and can be productive in either State, which allows me even more freedom. I've even started making notes as I travel back and forth, thereby increasing my productivity even more.

The nice thing is that each State provides so much inspiration for my stained glass and my writing - sometimes even solutions to some the problems of the various rescue dogs I encounter. And of course traveling is a great 'place' to brainstorm, apart from keeping your mind on the business at hand and getting to your destination, there are all sorts of free minutes where you can ponder problems and solutions in a different environment.

Another nice thing about both my homes is that I have so many friends and acquaintances in both places. I like meeting new people too, and more newcomers seem to be arriving in both places every day.

But what are these two wonderful States I hear you ask?

Well the first State, more or less my home base, is the State of Confusion. I really can't figure out why I do half of what I do, especially as I get older, and I CERTAINLY can figure out what most of the rest of you are up to either. I am particularly confused by politicians, most parents and why the church across the street can only get their parking lot plowed at 2:00 in the morning. I'm confused why two inches of snow needs to be plowed.

My vacation home, so to speak, is in the State of Denial. When I get so confused that I can't really believe that I went into the kitchen three times, and STILL can remember why, I begin denying - my age, my mental state, that I forgot anything at all (I really did need the chili powder in the living room). When I get confused about what the politicians are doing, the parents are doing and the guy plowing snow are doing, I deny voting for them or ever acting that way myself. The guy with the plow denies he was asked NOT to plow at 2:00 am and/or he denies that his truck is loud - he lives in Denial all the time, as does the church secretary, who denies that she can do anything about the guy with the plow.

While working in Confusion I ponder other things too - like why my stunningly beautiful dog insists on rolling in mud, why I keep dating the wrong guys and why my van won't run right after $950 in mechanic's bills.

When I visit the summer home in Denial, I protest my bad habits (beer, pizza and falafel consumption, if you must know), I deny the need to visit the dentist, and that I may be in trouble because I don't have a pension.

The good news is, either place I'm at I am relatively happy, which is really what life is about, no matter what State you live in. I am actually thinking of packing up the laptop and the dogs and moving to Bliss, at least for a sabbatical, which I hear is very nice this time of year - and most other times of the year too. Hope to see you there.....

Learn more about this author, Pat Gray.
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