Philosophic Ramblings of a Wandering Mind

Anonymous:  So what is life all about, anyway?  There are three chilling words that will make you really ponder this question:  "you have cancer."  All it takes to really get the thoughts flowing is a four-hour road trip by yourself.  Accompanied by a myriad of songs on the ipod (Neil Diamond to Eminem to Limp Bizkit to Donna Summer to Peggy Lee to Queen to Metallica to Michael Jackson...and more) and the hum and whine of the tires on the blacktop and the mind is free, almost forced actually, to wander as far as it wants.

So, is life about being on the computer by 8am on Monday morning to respond to 100's of emails from people who have never met you and never will?  Who won't be happy no matter what you do?  Or is it about driving along a NC interstate looking at the brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges of the changing leaves?  Or stopping at a lookout and gazing across a vast valley that appears to be on fire with the brilliance of the colors?

Is it about attending meetings where you hear how everything will change and be better, but you know most things stay the same?  Or is it seeing someone you love more than is imaginable suffer with a disease that is tearing apart him, his family, and you?  And wishing with all your being you could fix it, but you can't?

Is it about having a big house, big car, big bank account, nice clothes, nice jewelry?  Or driving up a hill at 70mph and passing a semi that is struggling to go 30mph, smiling to yourself when you imagine a time in the not too distant future where YOU will be in the right-hand lane listening to the powerful hum of the diesel engine powering it's precious cargo up that same hill?  Or is it the reverse in action - taking your foot off the gas and coasting down a 6% grade and letting your car inch faster and faster just for the thrill of it?  While semis and motor coaches ease slowly down that grade with the unmistakable roar of a Jake-brake kicking in?

Is it worrying about how fast you can get through the check-out line at the grocery store or going faster to make a yellow light because you don't have "time" to get caught in a red light?  Or is it walking out on your balcony on a cold fall evening and smelling firewood burning in fireplaces behind closed doors?  People you will never see or meet enjoying the simple pleasure of a crackling fire on a cold night, unknowingly sharing a small part of that joy with you.  Or is it the feel of the soft touch of a paw on your face from a hungry feline family member who really wants you to wake up, right now, and feed him?  Is it the simple joy of finding someone that you can do your silly faces, silly dances, silly voices in front of and not feel (too) stupid?

Is our life about chasing the dollar, working 50+ hours a week to collect a paycheck only to have no time to spend it?  Or is it about your dreams?  Selling it all, packing your precious pets, your remaining belongings into that motor coach and hitting the road?  Sure, you may make less money.  It might be a struggle.  Or it could be the best thing you ever did.  Summer in Wyoming, winter in the Keys - or wherever a whim and a map takes you.  Following the jobs wherever they may take you...meeting new and interesting people along the way.  Many of these people will be older than you and have stories to share that could entertain you for hours, days, weeks, months years.  You might even learn a thing or two.  The dream of parking the rig in a park alongside a beautiful stream and waking to the sounds and smells of green grass, forests, and bubbling water.  And the privilege of seeing all that nature has to offer from coast to coast along with the man-made miracles along the way?  Of sitting around a campfire, alone or with someone special or with a group of friends or people you just met that day and now call "friend," sharing music, stories, laughter, and a burnt marshmallow or two?

Life is what you want it to be.  Life is about being brave enough to take a chance, to scoff at the "norm" and the doubters, to go out and grab life while the grabbing is good.  Life is, or should be, about the simple pleasures in life - whatever yours may be.  So for anyone who thinks the dream of a life on the road can't be done or shouldn't be done I ask you - what is YOUR life about?