Tuesday, October 14, 2008

From the Coast to the Cornfields





It is no classified bit of data that Illinois is a bit more than a leisurely afternoon drive away from Carolina.  To be exact, it is a 14 hour grueling haul that displaces the traveler over 800 miles across the continental landscape.  From the never ending corn fields of Illinois, to the flat plains of Indiana, over the green rolling hills of Kentucky, carving through the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, headed up and down the Appalachian Mountains that span from West Virginia down to NC, and finally arriving to the lusciously tree-swept piedmont region of central Carolina.  It is almost as if a simple trip from the Midwest to the South has taken you throughout a number of different countries based solely on the scenery.  But that is what makes traveling so worth-while.  It is why it has become just another love story to hear about a retired couple packing up only the basic necessities to venture out and experience the various inkblots on God's great canvas; to see what there is to see and enjoy the beautiful natural architecture known as the planet Earth.  Because the only thing that can fill your heart with more blood-warming emotion than holding the love of your life in your arms, is witnessing first hand the awe-inspiring beauty of a natural landscape with the love of your life holding your hand.  There is no match.  Mother Nature leaves Frank Lloyd Wright alone in the corner by himself playing with his measly legos. Well, I am planning on taking a plane home from the holidays....Does it actually sound more appealing to drive?, would it be slightly enjoyable?!?....wait a minute!...hell no!, give me a damn plane ticket and I'll be home in 4 hours. Although in a way, it does spark a slight spontaneous urge in my veins to leave the remote sitting on the couch at halftime, grab my girlfriend by the hand, put a leash on the dog and take a stroll wherever our intuition takes us.  As quoted by a man who seemed to have done some thinking on the matter himself, "drive slow and enjoy the scenery -- drive fast and join the scenery."  I think I'll take it slow route, it probably requires less energy. Oh, and a more joyful experience. So the next time I'm headed out of the dorm to stand at the bus stop, I will get to the corner, stand with everyone else, and immediately look both ways, quickly proceed across the street and take the scenic route to class.  Take some time out of my day to appreciate the time God took out of his.

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