The Open Road

     It's that time again. Time to pack up my little red lady, my bed on wheels, and wake up in another zip code. My backseat is loaded with pillows and blankets for when I need to take a rest, and nestled safely in my passenger seat are two of closest friends: a cooler filled with food and a bag of books.
 
      I'm set. GPS on and Pandora tuned to the Avett Brothers station, I am once again reunited with my own true love, the open road. I drive through the night and keep my self awake by singing along to my favorite songs or looking out for deer grazing by the road.
   
     Every time I leave home, I feel the conflict inside myself. I am filled with anticipation for what lies beyond the next bend, but I leave some of myself at home. Ten days of new adventure, of different faces and voices; ten days of no kisses in the morning and no cuddles goodnight, no teasing banter and familiar smiles. Every time, I ask myself: am I running toward adventure, or running away from stability? Is every jaunt into the unknown simply to undo all the things I have built, to prove that I am just a rolling stone?
    
    Too many times we look at something that is good, something that is fulfilling, and we run the opposite way in blind fear. We fear love because it asks so much of us, and guarantees so little. So we run-to anything and anyone that promises to keep us safe, to not ask too much, to stay just a little bit distant. Little by little the color and vibrancy is wiped off our smile, till we have nothing left to run to.
     By all means, run forward. Drink in every new sunset and every different smell, climb mountains and swim upstream. Just remember, in the movement forward, to hold tightly to the things that make the journey worthwhile. Savor friendships as they grow and change, gaining the patina and strength of shared memories, cherish the days that waste away slowly in the warmth of familiar companionship.

     Sometimes, the greatest adventure we can experience is the one we live every day.