This is the day when everything changed, and when I don't constantly consider the two decades that I have been living and regret not doing anything.
Today I started something; something that I intend to finish.
I drove with Shaggy into La Grange (a-houw houw houw houw; the part of me that loves ZZ Top interrupts the coherent sentence), and met up with Skip Potts, my new partner in crime to start my travels where his are already on their way and have been for some time. I had heard a blues artist by the name of Doug MacLeod was playing that night and thought that it would be fitting, considering how many older blues and folk artists had sung about their experiences and life on the road while traveling. Unfortunately, we only made the last fifteen minutes but it was enough to give me time to reflect on what was coming and what was behind me while letting the music drift me away temporarily.
What is behind me? Metaphorically, my burnt bridges and ships. I have not an opportunity to resume a previously normal pattern of living back in College Station anymore, I've completely made sure of that. There is nothing left except that internal strength and I expect to completely draw on it for these next few days.
There was once a great general who reached an opposing land by a fleet of ships. His crew reached land and saw before them a plain and occupying it, in the distance, were a group of men that outnumbered them several times over. Sensing his men and their fear and concern, he turned back to light the ships aflame until they had been torched and sunk beyond all repair. He then told his men, "You now have two options; you will fight and arise victorious, or you will fight and die."
I now have those two choices. I can either continue on and let the combination of stubborness and wanderlust take me over and come out on the coast victorious, or I won't. I'm sure you can interpret that for yourself.
Behind me, there is a past that will always hold me back and keep me from moving on to new locations and new experiences. Behind me isn't all bad though. There are several things that I have left behind that I regret.
There are friends and family that love and care about me behind me, but even them without intending to or even understanding that they are, are keeping me from moving on with the goals I have set for myself.
What is in front of me? I don't know for sure, but I do know it is an adventure.
It has reached that time in this entry, I've got to do a bit of name-dropping. First of all, my traveling companion Skip Potts. He is walking to raise money for a great cause, public school funding specifically. I would suggest everyone check out his blog (skippotts.blogspot.com) and the website for PFEE (People For Educational Equality; the group he walks for, their site is PFEE.org) and follow his travels as well.
Second, Doug MacLeod was the blues artist we went to see at The Bugle Boy, and I'll be posting links in the next entry for both of those. Doug is an absolutely riveting storyteller in addition to his music and all of his work is available on iTunes for download. I couldn't recommend it enough if you are a lover of blues or folk.
That's all for now, I'll start updating with more linear entries now to keep up with the journey. No worries, my brothers and sisters.
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