John+C.

The Journey

​To travel abroad, to escape the mundane, meaningless grind that life was inevitably going to become. To escape, if only for a finite period of time, the pressures, the failures, the heartbreak, the anguish, and the expectations. To just pack a bag, and go. Yes, this was the vision that kept me awake at knight, that permeated my mind and drove my thinking, that mesmerized me in such a delightful way that it gave me a keen awareness of the passion below the surface of my skin.

Travel, to me, represented complete freedom. I made a decision to strip away the schedule that dictated my daily routine, and to live my life deliberately.

We would look at a map, have a discussion, choose a destination, and then our job would be to figure out how we would get there. Hitchiking, ships, trains, airplanes, walking--nothing was off the table. The possibilities and experiences we would have were without limitation.

I vividly remember my first hitchiking experience. After sleeping the first night in the Munich train station, we decided to make out way toward Greece, our ultimate destination. Our next stop along the way, however, would be Innsbruck, Austria. Having never actually hichiked before, we were a bit uncertain about what the best way to do it would be. It seemed like a great idea when we first decided to do it, and it was certainly the most practical way, but to actually make the committment, to take the leap of faith, was a bit unsettling. After consulting with our trusty "Let's Go" book, we decided to simply hold out a sign that said "Innsbruck" and stood on the side of the road which led to the highway. Surprisingly, we, and are backpacks, were picked up within minutes by a middle-aged German man, and driven to a rest area that was an hour closer to our destination. It was then that things began to become interesting.

Almost immediately after being dropped off, we saw a light-tan, Toyota sedan backing up toward us. We could see a short blond hair, and descrimiating eyes, staring backward at us, in the rear-view mirror. When the sedan, came to a stop, the window opened, revealing a woman's face. With a thick German accent, she offered us a ride to our destination. Eagerly, amazed by just-how-easy it was to get rides in Germany, we got into the car, Craig in the back, and me in the front. The woman cordially introduced herself as Ilka, and we identified ourselves and exchanged brief pleasantries.

As we accelerated onto the Autobahn, we noticed that Ilka had a particularly heavy foot. She began to weave in and out through other vehicles, causing our heads to bob back and forth like bobble-heads. I felt the tension in my legs, as they pushed against the imaginary brakes on the floor board, and could feel my vice-like grip on the door handle. Every once in a while, I would turn my head to catch a glimpse of Craig's face, which mirrored the way I was feeling. As we continued to try to make small talk, it started to become evident to us that this woman was either a remarkably attrocious driver, or intoxicated. Suddenly, she jetted to the left, and pulled into a rest area, explaining that we could use the bathroom. Stoppinng short of kissing the ground, Craig and I found our legs, and went to the bathroom. We looked at each other questioningly, each of us wondering if the other had the same concerns. We discussed our strategy. Ilka would be waiting for us upstairs to take us the final tweny or so miles into Innsbruck. As the rest area seemed to be closing, and the rain began to fall, we both realized we had little choice but to trust her to take us the rest of the way.

When we ascended the stairs, united in our resolve to finish this leg of out journey, we noticed an small, empty wine caraffe, sitting next to her keys on the table in front of Ilka. As she saw us approach, she picked up the keys and said "let's go."


 * Cards**

If only there were no cards. Oh, how my life would be so much simpler, like Thoreau, casting aside all unnecessary worldly possessions, stripping down llife to the bare essentials. No more bank cards and Visa cards. No more American Express. No more medical cards, library cards, membership or gym cards. no more credit cards, debit cards, gift cards or identification cards. No more gas cards, grocery cards. No more!!! Ahh, what a wonderful world it would be. Imagine a card -free world. Imagine the freedom from all the creditors, debitors, and marketers. Be gone, insurance companies! Go away you greedy bankers and businesses. How dare you take up so much of my valuable pocket space, enticing me with your clever gimmicks, enticing me with your pressure to have more, more, more. Wearing down my resistance with your endless emails, your relentless junk mail barrages. Yes, I admit it, I've caved. I've fallen prey to your pressure. But, no more. You will no longer control me. Imagine the freedom, the liberty, the breaking of the chains. Be gone, you plastic pilferers of time.