Live, Discover and Explore the Horizons

"All horizons open outward, All Tomorrows wait ahead. Life is yours while you are living, You are life's when you are dead. Every day a new adventure, Every road a golden chance. Why remain a captive longer, Spirit slave to circumstance. (Touring Topics July 1929)

As I read those words during my lunch hour today, thoughts of caressing US 380 to Decatur came to mind; heck any driving for that matter would have helped me escape. Nonetheless, it is the non-daily driving, i.e. going to work or shopping, that helps my soul release from its tense magnetic attachment to the everyday world. The rule of thumb in life is to make money so one can afford his or herself. However, I have thought about saying the heck with it, pack up what I really need, rid of the rest, and begin a life as a true nomadic. The beautiful thing about that is I would get to see various landscapes, cultures and physical geography. From visiting a Navajo woman in Gallup. New Mexico to going on top of New England lighthouses I have tasted that golden fruit of nomadism. Nevertheless, I want to see more people, learn about new weather patterns and develop a true rapport with the American people. Warren James Belasco beautifully summarizes my desire to "discover new perspectives, to experience unconventional intimacies with fellow Americans, and to break away from the hectic work routines and bureaucratic institutions of an urban-industrial civilization."

Recently, I began a new job, a temp assignment for a bank. While I am grateful for the opportunity, the rules (i.e. I have to jog down into a log when I use God's greatest sanctuary, the restroom), make me feel as if I am a slave. Yet, I have myself to blame for the time in mental purgatory, i.e. putting myself in a financial hole, which I recently cleaned up. Nonetheless, most of the causes for my mental and spiritual imprisonment is due to those "circumstances." For instance, I am beginning my Master's Program in Journalism at the University of North Texas. Why? Because I want to become a highway writer; a person who travels around various locales and writes about interesting facets of that area. The great irony about all of this is that while I would be given that "golden chance" to spread my automotive wings, I have to do so in a structured way. I would need to do this for my daily bread. Therefore, I can't just stop and ride. As I sit here on Thursday afternoon writing this manifesto of sorts, my mind and instincts tell me to continue to be patient and wait while my heart and soul are telling me, "All horizons open outward...Why remain a captive longer..." My gut tells me to continue with my path and the rest will come.