Only one trucker song came up on the iTunes today on my drive back home ("Little Liza Jane" by Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer), and a what a doozy. I think it is a good thing that my drive did not have the same level of excitement, much more than I or my darling Wee Lass need in real life.
It set me to thinking about the life of a road dog, however. I don't kid myself that I'll ever be able to sell everything, buy an RV or a motorcycle, and spend my days just cruising all over the continent; that remains a dream deferred. It did occur to me that long drives are not as tiresome to me as they used to be. Impatience to get to Point B from Point A always colored my perceptions of time and space, always leaving me totally exhausted and irritated by the time I arrived at my destination.
That went hand in hand with a near complete lack of acknowledgment of the places I had been or sights I had seen along the way. And that is a minor shame.
Now I seem to enjoy the process more. I take better note of the buildings and terrain and am starting to see a timeline and changes in the landscape. I am starting to care more about the Between in relation to the Here and There.
This is a good thing. I believe that, for perhaps the first time in my personal history, I have learned to treasure the process rather than shortchange it. One of my architecture professors tried to get that through my thick head, many years ago in Big Gumbo On Campus days.
Pity it took me so long to learn. I can tell you this: It's about time, and to borrow from the great sage Dr. Seuss, "Oh! The places I'll go!". I'm dreaming of some road trips, and of the places and people I'll see.
23 April 2011
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Marvelous, Gumbo! What a positive change in how you perceive driving journeys. Could be a metaphor....
ReplyDeleteI was driving around my new home city today with my GPS on, but getting lost anyway, and though the panic of getting lost crept in, I was also focusing on the new landscapes: crossing rivers and wetlands, looking at the cloud studded sky, seeing the skyscrapers rise from the flats. It was a blissful experience to enjoy the ride.
And I did find my way back.
I am hitting the road in June...VA, TN, NC, AK, TX, then back up, new stops, new faces...new material for my Zombie series...hit the road, it heals what ails you...I say :)
ReplyDeleteUnrequited dreams burn holes in our brains, do they not? I had that dream, too, it was to toss a sleeping bag on a motorcycle and just head out. It never happened, life kept interfering. Now that I have the time and resources, I am not sure I have the physical ability to do it right. I also have a spouse who might think badly of me taking off for 6 months.
ReplyDeleteAll that comes with age, I think, when we become a little less self-focused. I love being an observer these days, of landscape, architecture, and wildlife. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI've always loved road trips. Between is where its at. Don't love driving as much as I used to though...
ReplyDeleteAn RV would be nice if someone else were taking the wheel. :-)
I love going on car trips and stopping at all the roadside museums. There's a Mustard Museum in Wisconsin that's calling my name.
ReplyDeleteYes, you and Dr. Suess...love the Big Gumbo on Campus...that is a Dr. Suess book if I ever heard one...bkm
ReplyDeleteGot any good trips planned?
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad to know of the dream deferred.