40 states and a mini-van, that’s how we roll.

a couple of summer’s ago, i took a road trip around united states and lived in mini-van for two months with three other girls. it was borderline psychotic, completely liberating, expensive, mind-blowing, and one of the most unbelievable experiences of my life. after a while i was breathing the road, humming to the engine, meditating in the passenger’s seat, and waking up to waterfalls. three years of writing could never accurately describe the emotional landscape of a trip like that. forced social interaction with strangers, the continuance of time without adequate mental and physical rest, and an expansive country that is no longer unexplored became a paradise and nightmare all at once. maybe you’ve taken a road trip with three other people, travelled through and stopped in over 40 states in two months, and lived in a van.. but i kind of doubt it. not many people actually do it, and if you haven’t.. i have unmistakably stood in front of, and seen things that you can only pretend to know about.

i watched crackheads scramble for food in the pacific north-west, like they were pigeons fighting for a piece of bread. i have been momentarily held hostage in a car-jacking situation by a man in a zebra suit that tried to use his guitar as an AK-47. i hiked up a one-mile trail and found a friend on the bank of a 300 foot waterfall. i know why south dakota is a breeding ground for serial killers. i’ve sung karaoke in a room full of strangers to ask for a place to sleep. i’ve been very seriously aware of the fact that i could get physically assaulted if i don’t protect myself. i know why people lock the doors in wyoming. i know that the same kind of people are everywhere.

on the other side, i’ve fallen asleep to a sky so black that i couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, singing songs from the little mermaid, as a way to unwind from a day on the road with three other girls. i’ve woken up at the edge of a cliff after a black night like that, to find the most incredible view of my life… complete with mountains, and a crystal-clear, expansive river below. i’ve been offered that which i could not take, and i’ve been moved to tears by the simplistic nature of generosity, and the kindness of strangers. i’ve seen both the worst, and the best of that which is immediately available to me. i know america the ugly, and america the beautiful in a way that most people don’t understand.

i’ve been humbled, slapped in the face by experience. i’ve personally seen the majority of the country i live in, the everyday state of affairs for strangers around america, and i know that we have problems much larger than we’re willing to communicate to the masses. i’ve seen poverty, racism, discrimination, addiction, mental illness, homophobia, and an unwillingness to change in almost every state i’ve been in.

 

 

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so go somewhere, ya know?  take pictures.  hang out.  see people, see places.  do something a little bit different, and let the journey be the destination or whatever. every opportunity is available, every option is open, you’ve just gotta take the chance. maybe if we all see what everyone is dealing with, it can be different. tomorrow, i’ll tell you what inspired this. for now, live it up.