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The following were reflections
I had, separate from my daily journal, while on my nationwide journey.
Tuesday,
September 20, 2005 The only decisions you
should make when you’re tired or hungry is to rest or eat.
Thursday, September 15, 2005 Because of two off-key
things I heard yesterday, I feel the need to add them to my thoughts. I’ve
listened to numerous reports about what is happening to and for the hurricane victims and evacuees. Some are positive, some are disturbing, some are “same old, same old” from my own experiences
with hurricanes in Florida over the past several decades. The
first sour note was on the radio – the governor of Oregon was complaining that his state’s people, both government
and civilians, had devoted a tremendous amount of time, energy and expense to creating a haven for evacuees to come there,
only to be told by FEMA and other organizations, that no one was coming. Surely
there are a few families who would like to get out of the Astrodome even if it means venturing to the Northwest
Territory! Then I was checking into the motel in Eureka and heard the front desk person vehemently refusing to take in any of the local homeless
for the night for any amount of money. Apparently they were expecting a cold
snap there and the local mission was trying to find shelter for their street people.
I had to question the clerk about what I’d heard and was informed that they had taken these people in several
times and every time the rooms were stripped bare and trashed by morning. They
simply couldn’t afford to be kind any more. I didn’t know what to
say or even think about that. I’m just glad I’m not the one who had
to make that decision.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Every day is an opportunity to
start over. Even if all you do is formulate a plan to change your situation,
it’s a step toward a new beginning. If it is a beneficial plan, the universe
will acknowledge your intention and give you the support you need.
Tuesday,
September 13, 2005
Sometimes before we move forward,
we should look, or even go, backward and make sure we didn’t miss something important in our haste.
Monday, September 12, 2005 A television commercial
I saw last night caught my attention so well I stopped typing to find out what it was selling.
Turned out it was from the United Methodist Church and their message could have been written to me personally – “FIND
YOUR PATH, THEN SHARE THE JOURNEY.” Thanks for letting me share mine with
you.
Sunday,
September 11, 2005
Today, 9/11, seems to be the appropriate
day for the message I’ve been getting. I’ve been hearing very disturbing
whispers in the trees and rumbles in the rocks, and hints of confirmations of those are being verbalized by people I’m
meeting, or just eavesdropping on, across the country. Most people are sincerely
upset by the devastation Katrina caused and really want to help, or at least do no harm.
But there are those, extreme, right wing political and religious groups who are quietly waiting in their dark corners
and private rooms for an opening to start hissing about God’s Will and Retribution, opinions that could have very dire
circumstances, maybe worse than what I saw happen in the sixties. We can’t
let that happen – we need to pray, send white light, have positive thoughts, say and do positive things every chance
we get, so that the snakes will never get the opening they’re waiting for. As
with 9-11, this disaster can have some positive outcomes – we will be more conscious of the homeless and uneducated
population in this country, the government can resurrect the kind of plans that worked to end the depression – worthwhile
work programs, not just handouts, and best of all, a whole lot of people who were so downtrodden they never thought they could
rise out of the depths of despair are being given a chance to start all new, with no past to shadow their futures. Spread the positive thoughts only, please.
Saturday, September
10, 2005
I’ve been thinking a lot
about how much I’m learning on this trip. It feels like I’m in an alternative type of college and every day is
a different crash course. But I’ve also heard a lot of evidence lately
pointing to this being a valid education. Perfect example is that Louis L’Amour,
the most prolific author in America, only got through the 3rd grade –
the rest of his education came from being a merchant marine touring the world. And
I know other people who have 8 years of college and never quite figured out what to do with it. The point is, if the
traditional classroom doesn't work for you or your child, just find a different kind of classroom.
Friday,
September 9, 2005
According to the road signs, I
crossed the Continental Divide 4 times so far (it’s obviously a rather jagged line), so I know I’ve seen more
than half the country and, ya know what, Dorothy? So far, there really ain’t
no place like home.
Thursday,
September 8, 2005 I have now been asked the same question so many times, I gave it more thought.
“Aren’t I afraid of traveling by myself?” My answer is always, no, I use both common sense and my
intuition to keep myself safe. It has occurred to me though, that the physical
dangers are not the only thing some people might fear. Traveling alone has its
benefits and drawbacks, but I believe there is no better way to get to know yourself.
I’m comfortable with myself and my own thoughts (most of the time) but I know quite a few people who might be
afraid of what they would discover about themselves if they had so much time alone.
To them I can only say, try it, you might surprise yourself.
Wednesday,September 7, 2005
This week, I stood beside a T-Rex and Mammoth skeletons and sat at the foot of a towering volcanic
eruption - billions of years have passed on this planet. My lifetime is barely a blip compared to all that, but
I have the power to achieve whatever I wish during my personal blip and I choose to do something important. One
of these days I'll figure out what that's going to be, but for now I'll keep following my nose, since it seems to
be doing a pretty good job so far.
Tuesday,
September 6, 2005
Today I borrow from lines
I heard in the movie about the Crazy Horse monument yesterday, spoken by the sculptor Korczak - the most important thing in
life is to never forget your dreams. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to achieve them, so long as you keep making
progress of some kind. He passed away without seeing the completion of the project
he began, but his wife and 7 of his 10 children carry on the work (along with an army of workers and volunteers now), thus
his dream stays alive and has infected thousands of others. Also, words spoken
by Olympic medalist, Lakota native, Billy Mills strongly affected me. We should
all strive to be like Crazy Horse and Korczak - spiritual beings living the human experience.
Monday,
September 5, 2005 – LABOR DAY
What a fitting holiday to relate
the story of Wall Drug, SD, a place I visited yesterday. Back in 1931, the depression
era, Dorothy & Ted Hustead with son Billy, moved to the poverty stricken town of Wall. Ted was
a pharmacist who had received a small inheritance and wanted to open a drug store in a midwest town with a Catholic church
in it. The family prayed on it and decided to take a chance on Wall, tho everyone
thought they were crazy. No one had any money in those days so they had no business
for a long time, but one day Dorothy thought about all those open air roadsters driving by on the dusty road headed west and
convinced her husband to let her put out a sign on the road offering “Free Ice Water.” Before long people stopped by for more than water and the Husteads were not only supporting themselves
but a staff of 8 waitresses. Their hokey billboards became famous around
the world and, many signs still remain even after the beautification laws were enacted.
Today an entire town of over 800 people are either employed by the Wall Drug enterprise or one of the other businesses
that exist because of the block long drug store. And believe me, there is NOTHING
for miles on either end. Talk about having faith, taking a risk, the entrepreneurial spirit personified! I spoke to 2 clerks about convincing the Husteads to open another water stop on that highway I took between
Bismarck and Pierre and bringing up some of the evacuees to live and work there. They
promised to pass it on.
Before I went to sleep last night
I heard on the news that several states were sending buses and planes to pick up evacuees and relocate them. That is a wonderful effort. Now, let’s see some corporations
jump in and get those people new jobs!
Sunday,
September 4, 2005 Can’t offer a new thought this morning, mainly because I can’t stop thinking about all the uninhabited
area I drove through yesterday. What an enormous, magnificent, varied country
we live in. I am so lucky to have this opportunity to see it the way the explorers
and pioneers did, one mile at a time…although I am quite happy that I’m doing it at 70 mph in an air-conditioned
car instead of a covered wagon!
Saturday,
September 3, 2005 I have reached the part
of the country where most of the attractions have to do with Native Americans, Cowboys, Lewis & Clark trails and the Pioneering
Spirit that built this country…which brings me back to Thursday’s thought.
My heart goes out to all the families who are suffering because of Katrina but I am also terribly saddened by the stories
of humans using this catastrophe to take advantage of others, from the rapists and looters and shooters to the gas station
owners. I am sorry that it is requiring martial law to bring aid to the good
people who need it. There is an old saying about giving a man food and he’ll
eat for a day, but teach him how to fish/farm and he’ll be able to support himself for life. It certainly made a difference during the Depression. I am
truly hoping the government remembers that lesson and, after helping the refugees survive, helps them get a fresh start somewhere
new. There are vast open spaces out here just waiting for new towns to spring
up out of hope.
Friday, September 2, 2005
As I’m traveling from
place to place, I can’t help but think about the phrase, “Don’t talk to strangers.” Certainly, it is good advice to children, whose “bad-guy” radar might not be very well developed,
but as an adult, I would miss so much if I practiced such an anti-social policy. I
especially love it when someone makes an offhand comment that turns out to be exactly the message I needed to hear at that
moment. Some strangers really are angels in human form.
Thursday, September, 1, 2005
Listening to the
radio as I drove through Indiana
and Illinois yesterday I heard a lot of tragic stories about
the havoc Katrina has wreaked. Having experienced several hurricanes personally,
I really could empathize and be tremendously grateful that I never had anything that awful result. But I also heard wonderful items about people offering their time, money and energy to help immediately. The best I heard came out of Idaho Falls, where one neighborhood of families is offering
to open up their homes to families who lost everything – feed them, clothe them, get them jobs, put the kids in school,
etc. They can’t promise they’ll recreate Bourbon Street but they are willing to give total strangers a fresh start. I couldn’t help but think about how much unpopulated country I am going to be traveling through in
the next weeks. Surely some businesses that were in the devastated areas could
relocate themselves and a town full of people to someplace new. After all, isn’t
pioneering at the base of the spirit of America?
Wednesday,
August 31, 2005
Sometimes magic happens when you least
expect it - all you have to do is get out of the way and LET the Magician do his thing.
Tuesday, August
30, 2005
I have gotten several calls and
emails about people experiencing all sorts of stressful situations in their lives right now.
Barometric pressure is more to blame than the position of the stars. All
I can say to anyone is this: No matter what is happening to you personally, turn
on the television, take a moment to absorb the reality of the devastation and death that Katrina has left in its wake and
compare your problem to that. PERSPECTIVE can reduce a mountain to a molehill.
Monday,
August 29, 2005
In the Corvette
Museum, the designer, Zora Duntov’s ashes were in a golden box
along with a champagne bottle & 2 glasses, a photo of him and his wife, and the outfit he wore when test-driving his babies. He lived to be nearly 90 and is a true testament to the thought I launched my journey
with – he clearly lived his entire life taking risks and at the end, I have no doubt he went out shouting, “Wow,
what a ride!”
And since that thought was
already stated, I had another today that I’d like to share. While on the
Mammoth Cave
tour, the Park Ranger mentioned the story of Floyd Collins who was trapped and died in the cave in 1925. The journalist who
wrote about the brave caver’s tragic end won a Pulitzer Prize, the ballad written about it was the first record that
ever sold a million copies, films and even a musical was produced based on it in the 1990’s. We Americans have always loved tales of our daring pioneers, but I can’t help but think that we are
also a bit too fascinated with the morbid ones.
Sunday,
August 28, 2005
I stopped in a Wendy’s
for a sandwich and heard a good thought for the day – not original, but a heck of a delivery. It was very busy inside, steamy hot and damp outside, and a teenage girl had been given the wrong order. She never even tried to be polite, just demanded the manager’s attention and
went right for the f-word. She may have been trying to impress her friends with
how powerful she was over the mighty fast-food chain workers, but the manager had obviously read his Bible. In a very soft,
calm voice he said, “Ma’am, I’ll take care of that right away, but there is no need for cussin.’ We are all human beings, just tryin’ to get by, and we need to respect one another.” She was still grumbling obscenities as she and her posse headed out the door, but
everyone else in the place had a smile on their face.
In this fast-everything world,
sometimes it’s worthwhile NOT to use the drive-thru.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Listen to your body...it usually gives you better advice than your brain. When you're tired, go to
bed. When you're hungry, eat. When you're feeling tense because a hurricane is prodding your ass, get out of its
way.
Friday, August 28, 2005
Being a free spirit means being willing to break away from every attachment and leave everything behind
on a moment's notice. Considering how much stuff I have packed in my car, I clearly have not quite achieved that level
of freedom. I'm working on it but just not ready to give up the mini-coffee pot or my bag of shoes!
Thursday, August 25, 2005
I have been confronted with obstacles in my path for weeks and, as much as I wanted to get started on my
adventure, I was forced to make progress at a snail's pace. Just when I finally thought the delays were behind me, now
a hurricane is brewing that will travel along the driving path I had chosen. At least now I'm reassured the delays are
not of my own making. Ah well, there is nothing to do but believe that "everything happens for a reason" and everything
will be easier if I just "go with the flow." Yeah, I know, not very original thoughts for the day, but I can't think
of a better way to express the truth.
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