I remember a hole in the porch. It wasn't there. Someone must have fixed it.
Day 17:
Literally, I am cooped up in my car with the doors locked sitting in a parking stall at a "modern rest area." That's what the sign on the interstate said. Modern means WiFi and vending machines. Some of them also have people--and I mean pretty regular looking people donning badges of some sort, who are, I'm assuming protecting the premises? Or maybe just watching it giving the impression of security.
It is comforting... If only slightly.
...But metaphorically, I am sitting on a pier dangling my feet over the edge watching the ripples roll out in all directions from every time I dip my toes into the crisp water. I'm pretty sure it's not a lake or even the Pacific Ocean. The water stretches out into eternity. It never ends.
This is what I've realized. Every decision I make has consequences that ripple on through this endless ocean. The ripples might appear to dissipate but they do not cease to exist. They carry on in other people. They interact with surrounding environments and forever change the landscape not only of the material world but of the world of thoughts--of paradigms.
I'm looking back at the decision I made to kayak down the Wolf River and I'm wishing that I had put sunscreen on! I was scratching an itch on my shoulder and I felt bumps everywhere on my skin. Let's just say I am blistering. Haha. I'm taking it all very well though. It's just another experience that I will learn from which doesn't in the least take away from the very relaxing and much needed list down the calm and soothing river.
I am waxing poetic a little bit because I spent a few hours in my home town of Clinton, Iowa today. I am taking it upon myself to talk with as many people as I can as I travel. I made a decision earlier today pertaining to what's been mentioned and I'm wondering how it might have turned out differently.
I pulled up to the house I spent the first years of my life in, took a few pictures and walked up the front stairs. A note on the door said something to the affect that there was no smoking permitted on the premises because oxygen machines were in use. It was a note from the Mercy Medical Center of Clinton, Iowa, the hospital that I was born in.
I'm not usually a very outgoing person as I tend to stay to myself and keep my thoughts close to home, and so I hesitated as I reached out to knock on the door. What would I say if someone answered? Who would it be? I imagined an old fellow hauling a tank behind him answering the door cursing and wondering who in the dickens this long haired freaky person was standing before him. I withdrew my hand and left. I know my imagination isn't what is real, but it greatly impacts what becomes real. I walked away, I suppose because I was nervous about seeing who was behind the door. I wonder why I should have been.
I went to the skatepark afterwards and skated for a few hours. It's like therapy to me to just get on the board and cruise around. There is before a skateboarder as much or little challenge that's desired and endless opportunities to create something that has never been done before. Or at least not been done by yourself yet. But surely that could be said about nearly anything. But than again skating is special to me and I want to represent it in a good light. In fact, I'd say that despite the ruff and tumble nature of it and beyond the facade of curse words, drugs, torn clothes and blood, it is beautiful. It's physical. It's creative. It's demanding. It's relaxing. What else could a person want in life?
After that, I just drove. Believe to or not driving gets old. I stopped several times. I didn't make much headway today. I'm somewhere in Iowa. I'll be at a Kansas thing tomorrow morning. Yeah, it's a carousel museum... Ha! I didn't plan on it, it was just the thing to do in the state of Kansas on the road trip map that comes up when you google "48 states road trip."
Anyway, I'll be crossing Missouri heading east tomorrow after the carousels. The St. Louise Arch is on my docket, along with a mystery place I've yet to tell you about! Then from there I'll be heading toward Mammoth Caves.
Goodnight.