Walking and packing
The other day, I went for a walk and packed for a trip. The walk was real, the trip was fantasy, but both activities left me refreshed and renewed. As I was walking, I made plans to travel to France to volunteer in a chateau, where I would exchange my hard work for room and board -- and the experience of a lifetime living in a castle, eating delicious food and enjoying the appreciation of my host (possibly an ex pat Brit ) who would be in awe of how quickly I could dispatch a mess of weeds or tidy up an old shed or...whatever, it wouldn't matter. I was just enjoying my fantasy of packing. T-shirts and work shorts. Socks and work boots. Long pants and rain gear, just in case. Linen blouses and capris. Sandals and little jackets, perfect for an evening on the terrace, while sipping wine and enjoying the view after a day out of doors in the French sun and breeze. After a while, I realized that, probably, a working holiday at a French chateau would occur off-season, so my linen shoul