Like an open book?

This summer I read a lot of books. Then I read some more. Then I found a couple dozen journal articles. I'm still reading ... and writing. (I even built three bookcases to hold all the books -- see picture above.)

And now ... it's time to head south. I'm flying out of Minneapolis to Atlanta, then hitting the road for New Orleans, the Mississippi delta, and Memphis. It's hurricane season down in the gulf. Fay is changing course and heading straight for the Big Easy (a name hardly anyone uses since Katrina). At least the hotel rooms are cheap!

It seems presumptuous to call this trip a pilgrimage, but travel is a profound and memorable experience for me ... most likely because I'm forced to abandon the predictability I demand in everyday life. Yes, I spend days upon days researching my road trips, but as soon as I hit the highway I'm bombarded by a steady stream of variables beyond my control. I have to keep my eyes and ears open, which is exactly what allows me to see and hear things I've never seen or heard before.

Another thing: travel forces me to abandon any grandiose notions of saving the world. I'm an unknown in New Orleans, Memphis, and points in between. I hope whomever I meet is blessed by my acquaintance, but the only thing I'm really qualified to do on their home ground is listen and learn.

So, here's to a bigger world(view). There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in my philosophy.