a thousand mile weekend, all alone, i haven't had one of those since late january. a thousand miles to sing as loud as i want. a thousand miles to pull over anytime something catches my eye. a thousand miles to tell piper how good a dog i think she is. a thousand miles to think. a thousand miles to not think about anything at all. and as my friend would say, a thousand miles to "find what feels good."
i was recently asked why i travel. my answer; i enjoy change, i enjoy a challenge, i enjoy being out of my comfort zone. when things get static i'm left with this unfulfilled heart, aching to learn, aching to do. routine breeds boredom, and weekends spent on the road are anything but a routine. even if it's a place i've been before there is always a new aspect or obstacle involved when traveling.
another reason is the fact that i like being a little scared or unsure of myself, growth comes from being uncomfortable. i like that i slept in the dusty dirt parking lot of an old adobe chapel out in west texas, waking to a blood-hued sunrise illuminating the vast landscape that surrounded me; watching piper chase jack rabbits in the distance as i sipped my coffee. i like that i had to use what little spanish i remember from high school to ask a family to watch my dog while i quickly dove into the worlds largest spring fed pool. i like that i drove all the way to marfa only to kick around town for fifteen minutes before deciding to drive another four hours to camp on the water in del rio.
a wrote a few weeks back about the struggle to be present in what i'm doing, this weekend was it, i was present right where the rubber of my soles or my tires touched the ground.