BE NICE

         I haven't been on a road trip for a long time; hard to remember. Add to that, rehabbing an injury and you get ants in pants syndrome. I’m ready to lock windows, reset thermostat, hold the mail and get out of town. I’m sure there is a neurological, psychological explanation but it’s enough to know that I simply feel better in motion than at rest. When my kids were fussy we would take them for a ride and they settled down; maybe it's the old axiom about fruit falling from the tree. On the bicycle, in the pool, in the car, even walking; my reason for being is both simplified and satisfied. 

         Not this week but the next, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, I’ll get out of town for a couple of weeks. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga is home for the Summerville Steam Special, steam locomotive excursion. Southern Railroad Engine #4501 and its train of 1940’s passenger cars trek all day south into Georgia and return. That’s the plan; breakfast and dinner in the dining car with china, crystal, two forks and linen napkins. A couple of hours exploring Summerville, Georgia for a mid day break and the ride back. With luck, we get low angle sunlight for good photographs. Then again, Lord willing, we want to take the backroads for a few days, antiques and flea market hopping all the way to Baton Rouge. I’m well aware of how best laid plans can discombobulate so I tend to qualify everything with the “Lord willing/high water” disclaimer. Fall colors should be near peak, end of October in the Great Smokies. 

         The last time I got away was in June, an overnighter to Omaha; before that it was March and Michigan. I guess I do remember after all. Writing while on the road provides a great segue, from what I notice to something else, something I hadn't noticed but need to address. Otherwise you bog down in the mundane, navel gazing, ruminating on stuff that has no up-side. A friend, former minister turned sociology professor told me, “You didn’t screw the world up, neither can you fix it. So live the best life you can. Be responsible. Be nice.” Responsible can be tricky; Nice comes easy.