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Month: January 2017

Stuck in Terre Haute

Stuck in Terre Haute

After a couple of well-fed days visiting friends in Springfield, I headed to Urbana, Illinois. I met my recently married step-brother for lunch and then went to find the duplex my mom and I lived in when I was in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. We lived in the right side further from the garage. I think it was white when I was a kid. We had an old Fiat that took a couple of hours to warm up in…

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Land o’ Lincoln

Land o’ Lincoln

I have been remiss in my posting duties! After I left Carbondale, I headed a little north to Springfield, Illinois to visit some friends I hadn’t seen since around 2005! We had a delicious eats and indulged in The Great Negroni Debate: Vodka, Gin, Bourbon I think I liked the vodka one best, and my friend Wade liked the gin one. Or, the vodka or gin for after lunch, and the bourbon version for after dinner. I talked my friend…

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On loneliness, being alone, and community

On loneliness, being alone, and community

(ice storm. Jan 2017. Carbondale, Illinois) A dear friend of mine in Carbondale who works in hospice and I were talking about the nature of loneliness. I find it somewhat ironic that I have felt far less lonely since I took off on this road trip alone than my last two years in Arizona. She talked about the loneliness of dying people and how nothing external seems to help someone who has that particular heartache. She told me about a…

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nothing endures but change

nothing endures but change

This used to be a working soda fountain. In high school, we could drive out to Pomona for a malted or a gen-u-ine root beer float. When my grandparents died, we planted trees for them at the Unitarian Fellowship. Time passes, trees grow. Nothing endures but change. Turn and face the strange. Tomorrow, I go back on the road.

Identity crisis

Identity crisis

Before I left on this journey a friend of mine asked me, “What’s your job? Everyone has a job so go do that!” Of course, he did not mean an office job. “What’s my role here? What am I here to contribute?” (LaRue Pine Hills) This is a thought that rumbles around my head often. Currently, I travel, I write, I take photos, I care for two dogs. But what am I contributing to a larger community? I’ve considered many…

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Home. ish.

Home. ish.

Carbondale, Illinois is as close to having a ‘home’ as I’ve experienced thus far. This is the town where I made my first snow-person, learned how to drive, cut class, and found my love for romping outdoors. Home is the place where I have the deepest memories, history, and connection. I have friends here dating back to pre-school, and my mom lives here with my step-dad and a young Australian Shepherd. Would this still be home if my mom weren’t…

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