June 15, 2009
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Maybe we should walk…
It doesn’t seem right somehow.
to be able to change environments and life and situations so quickly.
my body hasn’t caught up yet.We drove through Iowa. ok. Iowa wasn’t that thrilling. but it was nice. And it was an excuse for Anna and i to sing all the songs from “The Music Man.” And finding a park with a polka band…and then dancing something that might have been polka-ish was fun.
Then South Dakota. There is just so much happening outside my window. i can’t keep up with it. flat plains. then green lumpy spaces. then you turn and fall into the BAD lands. Then rocky-ness. Then lots of flags and patriotism and looking up George Washington’s nose at Mt.Rushmore. Then the Wild West. capitalized.
i would gaze out the window and try to wrap my brain around what i was seeing.
but i couldn’t manage. not before everything was changing and different and i had to start all over again.Wyoming seems lonely, yet inviting. open, open, open. the idea of OWNING land just seems silly. at least when you are on a road in the middle of ALL of it staring back at you.
John began the trip by counting all the McDonald’s that we passed. by South Dakota, we started stopping at WHATEVER was available, because McDonald’s had disappeared. Along with everything else man made.
And then Colorado. Mountains. How can you wrap your head around mountains like these? two miles above sea level, shivering in the snow (because i didn’t bring pants), and feeling overwhelmed. lost. afraid. because there is so much world, and you can only love so many things without being splintered into a million pieces.
I think what i like most about traveling is seeing how other people live. seeing how many other ways–besides mine–that there are to live. and sometimes you smile. sometimes you frown–quietly. sometimes you are awed by brilliance, and sometimes you just wish you could shake the bloomin’ daylights outta them to make them DO SOMETHING.
