Moving Forward
Tonight I feel ambitious and so does my foot as it sinks on the pedal; I press it to the floor ... The night is beckoning although I have nowhere to go but home -- feels good to be alone. With every turn comes a new frame of mind; if I could frame my mind, where would it hang? ... This is an open road song ...
3 days. 21 hours in a vehicle. 1,453 miles. 46 gallons of gas. 4 random meals, 4 fast-food meals, two soccer games, and one wedding.
Two replaced brake pads.
Well I had a dream I stood beneath an orange sky.
What a weekend. It started in Wausau, landed in Minneapolis for a night and a good chunk of Saturday, moved to Sioux Falls for about 14 hours, then ran to Pierre for another 18. It ended back in Wausau, 75 hours after it had started.
Welcome to the beautiful ...
The drive was green and gorgeous all the way across. Even eastern South Dakota looked good -- something I haven't willingly admitted in several years. The flat, open space and lengths of highway made me a little nostalgic for the awesome road trips I had during college.
So long ago I don't remember when, that's when they say I lost my only friend ... Come on try a little -- nothing is forever. There's got to be something better than in the middle.
Everything reminded me of past trips. I spent a large chunk of my high school summers in the Twin Cities area, watching my sister's club soccer team. This weekend, I got to see my brother play (and kick some serious butt). After that, I got to hang out with my best friend from high school and her husband and go to the church I grew up in. Then, finally, I made it to the wedding (the whole point of the trip) where about 90% of my InterVarsity friends were. So much fun!
It's hard to get around in a six foot town. When you're ten feet tall, everything's so small.
That many hours in the car would have made the former me crazy, but this weekend I was glad for the time between events to think. I could remember past trips without interruption, think about things that had happened in the last couple of weeks, muse on any topic I wanted to ... or zone out when my brain couldn't handle it anymore.
And the music ... Old road trip CDs came out again; songs I hadn’t heard in months or years brought more flashbacks. Weddings, concerts, soccer tournaments, arguments, flat tires, blizzards, construction, conversations and random friendships came racing back. When I thought about it, it amazed me how many stories I have that involve road trips and quality vehicle time.
I struggle with forward motion ... Cuz forward motion is harder than it sounds; every time I gain some ground I’ve gotta turn myself around again.
What was more surprising was the realization that this could very well be regular part of my life now.
The magic about college ending is that we now see the confetti effect. We started in the same place, but now we’re at the mercy of the winds. We’re landing in seemingly random spots all across the country, starting our new lives surrounded by strangers. While we’re blessed with the Internet and nationwide cell plans, it’s not the same as being able to sit down in a living room or restaurant or coffee shop and talk about the mysteries of the world. We won’t get to do that on the regular basis to which we’ve become accustomed, but we can claim snippets of months to do so. And I for one am looking forward to every chance I get to do just that.
I crack the window and feel the cool wind cleanse my every pore as I pour my poor heart out to a radio song that’s patient and willing to listen; my volume drowns it out. Yeah, but that’s okay, cuz I sound better than him anyway, any day -- my voice is sweet as salt. I search for comfort and I find it where I found it many times before; times before can be forgotten. My pile shakes as I hit eighty on the open road ... This is an open road song.
Lyrics (in italics):
Eve 6, “Open Road Song”; Alexi Murdoch, “Orange Sky”; Five For Fighting, “The Beautiful”; The Wallflowers, “One Headlight”; Big & Rich, “Six Foot Town”; Relient K, “Forward Motion.”
Photo courtesy of Ben G's Facebook album.
3 days. 21 hours in a vehicle. 1,453 miles. 46 gallons of gas. 4 random meals, 4 fast-food meals, two soccer games, and one wedding.
Two replaced brake pads.
Well I had a dream I stood beneath an orange sky.
What a weekend. It started in Wausau, landed in Minneapolis for a night and a good chunk of Saturday, moved to Sioux Falls for about 14 hours, then ran to Pierre for another 18. It ended back in Wausau, 75 hours after it had started.
Welcome to the beautiful ...
The drive was green and gorgeous all the way across. Even eastern South Dakota looked good -- something I haven't willingly admitted in several years. The flat, open space and lengths of highway made me a little nostalgic for the awesome road trips I had during college.
So long ago I don't remember when, that's when they say I lost my only friend ... Come on try a little -- nothing is forever. There's got to be something better than in the middle. Everything reminded me of past trips. I spent a large chunk of my high school summers in the Twin Cities area, watching my sister's club soccer team. This weekend, I got to see my brother play (and kick some serious butt). After that, I got to hang out with my best friend from high school and her husband and go to the church I grew up in. Then, finally, I made it to the wedding (the whole point of the trip) where about 90% of my InterVarsity friends were. So much fun!
It's hard to get around in a six foot town. When you're ten feet tall, everything's so small.
That many hours in the car would have made the former me crazy, but this weekend I was glad for the time between events to think. I could remember past trips without interruption, think about things that had happened in the last couple of weeks, muse on any topic I wanted to ... or zone out when my brain couldn't handle it anymore.
And the music ... Old road trip CDs came out again; songs I hadn’t heard in months or years brought more flashbacks. Weddings, concerts, soccer tournaments, arguments, flat tires, blizzards, construction, conversations and random friendships came racing back. When I thought about it, it amazed me how many stories I have that involve road trips and quality vehicle time.
I struggle with forward motion ... Cuz forward motion is harder than it sounds; every time I gain some ground I’ve gotta turn myself around again.
What was more surprising was the realization that this could very well be regular part of my life now.
The magic about college ending is that we now see the confetti effect. We started in the same place, but now we’re at the mercy of the winds. We’re landing in seemingly random spots all across the country, starting our new lives surrounded by strangers. While we’re blessed with the Internet and nationwide cell plans, it’s not the same as being able to sit down in a living room or restaurant or coffee shop and talk about the mysteries of the world. We won’t get to do that on the regular basis to which we’ve become accustomed, but we can claim snippets of months to do so. And I for one am looking forward to every chance I get to do just that.
I crack the window and feel the cool wind cleanse my every pore as I pour my poor heart out to a radio song that’s patient and willing to listen; my volume drowns it out. Yeah, but that’s okay, cuz I sound better than him anyway, any day -- my voice is sweet as salt. I search for comfort and I find it where I found it many times before; times before can be forgotten. My pile shakes as I hit eighty on the open road ... This is an open road song.
Lyrics (in italics):
Eve 6, “Open Road Song”; Alexi Murdoch, “Orange Sky”; Five For Fighting, “The Beautiful”; The Wallflowers, “One Headlight”; Big & Rich, “Six Foot Town”; Relient K, “Forward Motion.”
Photo courtesy of Ben G's Facebook album.
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