Sunday we shopped the antiques
market in Rome. Sifting through
the debris, it's fascinating how
one man's trash is easily another's
treasure. Given the option, I prefer
anything with a pedigree rather
than naiveté. Part of me believes
that part of each of us travels on
with our cast offs. Hence the value
of an object usually is more than
simply it's appraised worth. While
new may seem fresh, anything with
mileage holds much more allure.
Today we board a plane to return
to New York. After a brief period
of recuperation, we'll continue on
to Montana. Our time here has
been relaxing, illuminating, and
refreshing. Yet I'm ready to return
home. If I've learned nothing more
this past month it's been that I truly
love rural Montana. And while all
that glitters is often truly gold,
I want to be back where I belong.
Absence makes the heart grow
fonder has been proven once more.
There is an alchemy to life. A magical
formula that most search for until we
find it. Mine seems to be any place
where I'm comfortable, happy, and
loved. Nothing is perfect and part of
me dreads returning to Lewistown
and facing the narrow minded. Yet
actually, I've probably been looking
at them for the last month but didn't
know it. Ignorance may be bliss but
I'd rather know who my enemy is.
The benefit of living in a small town
is that one faces facts then moves on.
In the end life is what we make of it.
That means that whether you're a
half empty or a half full - you bear
the responsibility for replenishment
or any lack thereof. Motion - be it
forward or backward - is better than
inertia. It's not actually where or how
one gets there, but rather enjoying the
process of traveling anywhere. Often
the only force of nature that's going
to take you to new places is the kick
you give yourself in the ass. And in
a small town that can be a licking!
If I seem more than a bit reflective,
it's because I am. Far away I've had
the luxury of letting go and looking
at life from a distance. Fortunately,
that time away affirmed that I'm in
the right time and place for me. The
only question left is what's next? It
seems that once one hits a comfort
zone, our natural instinct is to stretch
it's barriers. Given my past, there's
got to be a future that leverages what
I've learned thus far. And hopefully
teaches me even more. All aboard!