Ever read a book that grabs you and says, "I know you!"? One that makes you wish it already was lunchtime? This book has done so and, a mere 100 pages into Neil's transcontinental journey, I'm hanging on for the ride. Having lost his only child, 18 year-old Selena, and Jackie, his wife of 22 years, in events but ten months apart, Neil literally pulls himself out of his Québécois wilderness home and hits the road to stay alive.
Why bring this up? Well, first because the story by page 90 becomes uplifiting, an ode to the durable human spirit that powers our bodies. More importantly, his trip is a metaphor for one I'm on, in which I recently realized that it's much easier to keep life's pieces in motion, moving from pillar to post, than to stop and let the mundane realities catch up with you. Guess I'm not that courageous - it's easier to uproot and conquer something down the road than to deal with the here-and-now. Run, run and don't look back.
Ahh, but the runner's instincts kicked in recently and I started looking back. I basically liked what I saw but see you can be doing just Fine but be in the Wrong Place. Apologies for the ambiguity, but I do challenge my readers (if you exist; maybe I'm just talking to myself?) to try some Merlot Introspection. Just one glass while you mull over the why am I here/what should I be doing questions. Heady? Maybe not, but hopefully reaffirming and placing your life/job/plans in some larger bubble of purpose. Makes the day nicer when you kind of know where you're heading - then you know when to sigh in relief when you're arrived.
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