The Beginning of a Journey

Such anticipation. Bubbling up and simmering down in the pit of my being.

That tiny light blue-lined notecard keeps me on track, distracting me from the distractions lining the wall of my skull, zipping around, my own personal electromechanical ticker. All that I hope and desire for this journey, I can see it all transpire like a video forwarded to double speed.

But right now, I need to make sure I packed my extension cord, 3-prong to 2-prong grounding adapter, pillow, and my water bottle for the road. This isn’t the time to be nostalgic for the future, that can be done on the long car ride to West Virginia.

I snag my pink speckled pillow and tuck it under one arm so I can carry my suitcase and my bag in my other two hands. Backpack already snugly positioned on my shoulders for maximum efficiency and carrying capacity – I get most everything down the stairs in one trip. Dashing back up just to grab my notecard.

I begin to lug my belongings to the mound of shiny dark forest green metal waiting for me outside the front door and down two more sets of stairs. Stairs of faded brick and moss lining that give me pause. It seems like these bricks were only laid a couple of years ago, but clearly the wear on them contradicts my perception. For some reason time moves faster than I’m ready to accept.

Popping open the trunk of my 2002 Toyota Camry, I’m once again pulled back to the present and I begin to fill in the empty spaces, each bag and box neatly finding its place. I return to the one thing keeping me on track – my notecard.

The sharpie I snatched out of the drawer of miscellaneous things is almost out of ink, but it works for my purposes. Scratching off the last few items on my list, mom slides a plate of eggs and toast in front of me and dad emerges from the basement with three bottles of wine to thank the hosts along my path.

Everything is ready. I’m both full and empty.

Settled. Determined. Expectant. I look at my parents and they at me as I climb into my noble Rocinante, connect my iPhone to the tape recorder to mp3 converter, turn the key, and nudge my foot onto the accelerator.