Back to Reality

For the past 3 days, I have enjoyed a mini-vacation before things get cranked up again for the Spring semester.  I decided -- very intentionally -- to return to Branson, Missouri and must admit that it has been a wonderful (although slightly unusual) time of recuperation.

January in Branson is a down time.  All of the theaters are closed;  traffic is non-existent.  Once I arrived, interested people asked why I would choose to come to Branson in this season.  I don't know if I can fully explain it, but it has a lot to do with my psyche.  Since much of my life involves performance -- whether as a pianist, teacher, or church musician -- the sight of empty theaters subconsciously reminded me that there was nothing pressing that I needed to prepare immediately.  It was wonderful to not take in a show that might ignite my creativity.  When I went to the bookstore, I saw lots of recordings of pieces I am beginning to learn, but I determined not to purchase them since I wanted to insure that I had a few days away from the work.

What did I do, you ask?  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  I checked out a few shops and bookstores, but mostly I read, watched television, and cross-stitched.  I checked my email via my phone, but I didn't accept any phone calls -- that is until my mother decided to call.  I was gracious (I think), but also make it clear that I really was not interested in talking.  I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I get home exactly how that went over.

Food is normally at the center of my trips and this one was no exception.  I had lunch on Thursday at Lambert's just outside of Springfield.  It isn't a restaurant to which I would generally be drawn, but I decided to go just to say that I had.  The food wasn't bad; the atmosphere was nice.  Even though I was born in the South in a fairly rural area, I'm just not a country boy at heart.  In contrast, dinner this evening was A-MA-ZING!  The front desk of the hotel recommended Florentina's Italian Restaurant here in Branson.  Having just opened in the spring, not many people know about the place that is currently a treasure for the locals.  That will change in the very near future, I suspect!  The food was amazing and the service was impeccable.  Priced a little on the expensive side, but well worth the investment in my opinion.

Now I'm just going to enjoy the rest of my evening here in the hotel and pack my things in preparation for the drive home tomorrow.  I'm not really ready to return to reality, but I know that there are things that I must take care of next week.  Now that I've had a few days of uninterrupted rest, I feel that I'm ready to put my nose back to the plow for a few more weeks....and things are going to be VERY busy for me until late March.  I'll be telling you more about THAT next week as all the details are finalized.