Training now thru Iowa toward Nebraska; I'm sick of this part of the country. I'm a bit unnerved tonight. Not bad, but starting to sense and put a face on the impending storm, and don't want this trip to end. The train caught the remnants of Hurricane Katrina early this morning, somewhere between Erie & Cleveland. Whatever was left couldn't have been too bad; I only woke up for a second.
I'm not looking forward to Denver, and I'm afraid I'm also set up for a really big let-down in North Carolina. Either housing won't come thru, or some other shoe will drop. That's my old thinking of course, but fell like I should consider it. I feel energized when I think of the potential adventures but it's still merely and idea; not yet fact. I believe that's why I'm dreading Denver: It's about to become fact, or I'll back down again.
What have I gained from the last two-days [on the train]? The reflection and realization that there ARE people out there who ARE peers. And, my thoughts of returning to my relationship are of dread. To continue seems pointless. Where would we be going? Toward what? More of the same. All the rationale for staying lies on the foundation of me changing myself. "Change" is guaranteed, but not of the variety needed! The more I try to comply and conform, the angrier I become. My identity: I want to redefine and reclaim it. Gotta go: every time I leave, I feel that.
For the last 48-hours, I've been telling myself that I'm going to do this when I get back, and not only for me, but to spare her further misery as well. I suppose I should take a deep breath when I get home, relax, and re-assess things. Not sure what, other than catastrophic failure somewhere, could change this.
Travel stories and the occasional rantings of an evolving cynic who's simply in search of a little human authenticity. Tales include hitching across the Rockies with an eventual cop-killer, a weekend with a terminally-ill billionaire, meeting my siblings for the first time, trips to Mexico, and scores of random people from Mass.-Slab City-Chiapas who are often even more interesting...for better or worse!