Just Passing Through

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These signs always make me a little uneasy. Am I supposed to stop at such a sign and wait to be granted permission to drive on? I imagine a long line of Alien Drivers sitting there in the road, scratching their heads and wondering what to do. I always pass, and I always get away with it, but I feel as if I've done something rebellious, like a cop might pop out of nowhere and give me a ticket, or at least a good stern talking-to. So far, so good. I passed a lot of these today, driving from Ashland to Reno in my dandy little Kia rental car. Another Automotive Manifestation. My beloved golf cart (dubbed The Pony), was returned to the golf cart store last week, and I went on wishing for a nice little car of my own. And what do you know? I have another one. It's only a rental, and still only temporary, but hey - it's a car. And besides, everything is temporary in this world, so I think it counts.

I do enjoy a short solo road trip now and then, and today was a dandy. Mt. Shasta was in fine form, watching me watching her for miles and miles. A mountain like that can make me feel protected, for which I'm grateful. 



I've been feeling somewhat vulnerable lately. Not really sure why, but I think it has something to do with Stuff, or more accurately, the lack of it. Sometimes I get this dumb feeling that because I don't live in a house, and have acres of personal possessions surrounding me, I'm somehow "less" than people who do have those things. Stuff can give us the illusion of security, and illusion is a lovely thing, even though there's no such thing as real security. It can all change at any moment, and sometimes, without all the padding the illusion provides, I feel like I might just spin of the world into space. Thankfully, that hasn't happened so far, and I'm also aware that I'm mistaken when I think that way. My exercises in peeling away the layers of non-necessities can be challenging. But most of the time I feel safe and protected and free. I keep running a Janis Joplin loop in my head - Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose...

This morning I hopped into My Car, and drove to Reno without unpleasant incident, and with a sense of happy adventure. Travel is what Rick and I meant to be doing, and well, we've been stalled for several months. We'll get going again soon, and a day like this tells me that moving along is what I really want to keep doing - at least until I don't want to anymore. "Do Not Pass"? I don't even know the meaning of it. I'm just passing through. We all are, aren't we?


Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 23, 2010 at 10:28 AM

    When I was little, I used to think the same thing and once asked my dad "Why are you passing when it says not to?
    I like the signs that say "Pass with Care" - much more appropriate.
    Linda

    ReplyDelete

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