Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Early Thoughts


3 women. 13 states. 3638.5 miles. 1 goal. to grow.

Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington.

A shell from the Atlantic and a shell from the Pacific now sit on the mantle of what will be my home for four months.

Now: 1 woman. 1 state. 1 goal. to grow.

A friend noted last week that I have developed the spectacular ability to ignore completely the sounds of the city. Will the silence that echoes in my cabin eventually become background noise, easily unnoticed?

I have no idea how to begin to document that 8 day journey across the country. I have no idea how to begin this blog because I have abounding faith in my inability to articulate why I am here or what I will be doing this summer. I don’t care to begin with the fears I have for I hope they are fleeting. I am too exhausted for joy. I am excited and nervous. Perhaps my proclivity for symbolism prevents me from strictly outlining the facts of my trip, of my internship, of my house, of my coworkers. They will come in due time; for now, I am otherwise engaged in silent thought of “why?”. My task is so daunting that I weakly leave it in the eloquent hands of H.D.Thoreau:

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
~Thoreau

1 comment:

Ma said...

Allow me to be first to say "oh, my"! I can't wait to read your blog throughout the summer. What a gift you have to share.