Saturday, January 18, 2014

Nothing Can Stop Me Now

You know when you get so close to your destination, that nothing will stand in your way? You need gas, but you have enough to get you there; you need to pee, but you can hold it; you need to rest, but you’re wide awake? Well, that’s where I am right now. I am so close to my goal, I can feel it. The end is in site. I have been talking about the end of this road trip since the beginning. I knew the day would come, but I find it hard to believe that day is in site. As much as I would like to speed ahead and get there faster, I know that I still have to maintain the speed limit. Nothing would suck more than to get pulled over  and delayed at this point in the journey. No, I have to keep doing what’s gotten me to this point— stay the course.
I have been on the road for so long that it just has become second nature. And really, when I think about it, I feel that’s why I've been successful. I didn't do anything crazy, I just lived. And for all of the living that I have done over the last 2+ years, there is no reason to change anything now. If I show up to the dance with the Prom King, why would I change partners at the last minute? I wouldn't, I would (and should) stay with the one who brought me to the Ball. This is the life I am living now. My old life is the past, and chances are good that I didn't have much of a future had I stayed on that path. Things are different now. I am different now. I just need to keep moving forward. I realize that theme has surfaced many times here, but it’s true. Why would I want to stay in one place, when the world around me continues to move? 

Sometimes, as I think about this journey, I’m reminded of going to my Grandparents’ house on Lake Lanier. GA 400 used to end at their exit (or was it that their exit was at the end of 400?) Whatever the case, I knew we were getting close to the exit because I saw the flashing caution signs. I knew that the road would be ending soon. But you know what? We got off 400 and went on another road. That’s what this road trip is about and what the future holds. The orange flashing lights are in site, but once I get there, I need to exit and get on another road. Who knows where that road will lead, but who cares? The future is a blank page, an unwritten book. It’s about damn time I sat down and put some words on that page!