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Last week, I sat down to supper on Sunday night, relieved that cooking and cleaning, feeding hubby and walking the dogs was done. Tired and happy to just sit, I looked at my calendar. (I admit to having been technologically beaten into putting my activities on my cell phone).

To my horror, the calendar entry for Monday read San Antonio, Road Scholar. Over the last year, I have been giving short, two-hour introductions to Texas for the members of the San Antonio Road Scholar program. (It used to be called Elderhostel). The programs are usually at 8 am on Monday mornings

The people who attend are interested, enthusiastic, intelligent and usually from out of state. It is always a pleasure to discuss Texas with them and share stories and ideas they didn’t know about. They were also 4 hours away.

Drury Plaza lobby

In desperation, I jammed a suitcase with clothes and toiletries, grabbed a hanging bag, stuffed it with an appropriate speaking outfit and leaped into the car. Blessings on the 90 mile per hour Hwy 130, I was in San Antonio at the magnificent Drury Plaza hotel by 9:30 that night. Only . . . the concierge didn’t have my name on the list of check-ins. He had it for Tuesday, not Monday.

I had arrived a day early.

Exhausted and at a loss, I decided to go ahead and check in anyway. The next morning, I awoke and realized I had an entire day ahead of me without plans. No dogs. No cats. No husband. No exercise routine. No cooking. No cleaning. No demands of any sort on my time. An entire day of freedom!  A mini-vacation.

Morning on the San Antonio Riverwalk

Totally overwhelmed with the feeling of relief, I reveled in a relaxing walk through the morning mist along the beautiful River Walk. I strolled back to a ready-made-by-someone-else buffet breakfast and faced a day of luxury.

Of course I did have my computer. How incredibly wonderful to be able to catch up on so many little niggling details that have been hanging over my head. All the to-be-dids that hadn’t been “did” at home. Relief, pleasure, a supreme sense of satisfaction.

Lunch at the Sushi bar across the street and three FREE Happy Hour drinks. Another stroll on the River Walk in the cool of the evening and I was ready for the Road Scholars the next day. And a return to reality at home.

I highly recommend surprise mini-vacations!