WALKS OF LIFE

I have said many times that my travels inspire my writing. My last and most recent venture is no exception to the rule. In my last post, I wrote about how I hope that I make a good impression on other people. In this blog, I want to express how other people make an impression on me. I can honestly say that everyone with whom I encountered was genuinely nice. Each and every person I encountered had a story and some were even willingly to share their stories.

On Saturday afternoon April 29, 2006 much to my chagrin, I boarded a plane headed for Phoenix Arizona. My fellow passenger happened to be a nice looking guy who volunteered to put my carry-on bag into one of the overhead bins and offered me a seat. I was so terrified to take off because I hadn't flown in over six years. He was reading a magazine nonchalantly as I was trying hard not to projectile the remains of my breakfast and my just peachy smoothie that I had opted for instead of something else that would have weighed heavily on my already queasy stomach. I looked over at him as I grabbed on for dear life, and politely asked, "So this doesn't bother you?" "No", he politely replied. He informed me that he had flown several times and each time was the same. However, he did mention that one time he made the mistake of eating a McDonald's Big Mac before getting on a plane which made me even more grateful for having sense enough to just drink a smoothie.

When the plane leveled off, I felt like I could at least breathe. So Bryan and I started up a conversation. It turned out that he was originally from Scottsdale, Arizona. And he had moved to Nashville on a transfer. I also found out by talking to him that he was planning a wedding with his future bride. He was going to Phoenix to visit her for a few days. I told him that I had recently published a book in which he said "Congratulations". He said that he also had a manuscript that he had been working on for awhile. He also was a songwriter of sorts. An hour had passed by, before I asked for the time. He had managed to put me at ease which believe me was no easy feat especially when I heard the pilot say we were going to be traveling at exactly 45,000 feet up in the air. I could have gone the rest of my life without having heard that tidbit of information.

The landing wasn't so bad. I decided half way through the flight to look out of the window for awhile. I had forgotten how beautiful the puffy white clouds could be looking down at them. I began to relax as the plane was making its final descent. Then it was time to go to baggage claim and retrieve my luggage. Luckily, I had my Mom along for this trip. At first, we thought that our luggage had been lost as we were waiting for our ride from the airport. We made a sigh of relief when we finally spotted our luggage. We had come to visit my Mom's sister and my favorite aunt.

By Wednesday, we had decided to venture out towards historical downtown where my Aunt Frances has her hair done on a weekly basis. I finally met the infamous Janet who is my aunt's hairdresser. She had heard as much about me as I had heard about her. She wasn't at all how I had pictured her. Most people rarely look the way that you envision them in your mind. I really didn't expect her to have blonde hair although it was probably not her natural color. She was very nice and I really appreciate how kind she has been to my aunt. I love the downtown area there. There is so much history. We went to Lute's Casino for lunch. It is the place where are the movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable used to go for a good time. I bought some souvenirs while I was there at a place called Twigs.

Janet, Mom, Aunt Frances, and I made plans to meet for lunch the next day. We went to this quaint little cafe on the outskirts of town that serves Chinese cuisine. It was really good. I inquired about the Mexican restaurants and Janet told me about the local restaurants. She recommended the green chili enchilada at El Charro's Cafe. It turned out that she was a member of a book club. My Aunt Frances had told her that I had written and published a book so she was anxious to read it and informed me that she was going to tell the book club. I got very excited because my book was now circulating in Arizona.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the entire trip was the journey home. We woke up at about 3:30 AM in order to catch a taxi. The taxi ended up coming early to take us to our next stop which happened to be a Chevron station a few miles up the road. It was hard saying goodbye to Aunt Frances that morning although I was half-awake and half-asleep. We went to this gas station to catch a shuttle that would take us to the Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix. We waited over an hour for that shuttle. During that time, we met one of the workers from the Chevron station. I felt so sorry for that man having to come in to work so early. In the hour that we had been waiting we learned that he was originally from Michigan and his doctor had advised him to move to a warmer climate because of his health condition. He was a widower. He had one son and three grandchildren of which two boys and one girl. They were planning on coming for a visit to see him this summer. He was a very nice man. He even watched out for us when this man riding a bicycle decided to stop by and get something to eat. He was a shady character. He pulled his bicycle around the back of the store to eat. Mom and I had our guard up, but the worker was keeping a close watch out for us.

Along came the shuttle just when we had started to give up on it, and out popped a doe eyed brunette who promptly started loading our luggage into the back of the van and informed us that she was going to get some coffee. There was another passenger who was getting on the shuttle at the Chevron station, a soft-spoken man who was nice enough. He was irritated because the 5:15 AM shuttle was the only one running that day and his flight wasn't until two o'clock. I can't say that I blame him for being irritated. The shuttle driver, Simone was a very entertaining and colorful character. I didn't mind her bubbly personality even though I was trying my hardest to sleep. She and the shotgun passenger struck up a conversation. He was an older man who was headed to Cody, Wyoming. He seemed to know a lot about life and he had had a lot of different experiences. He was probably in his late sixties if I had to guess. He was very nice and really seemed to enjoy Simone's company. Simone was a native of Utah and she had grown up as a Mormon. I gathered from the way that she talked she had done a little bit of everything to make ends meet. She even informed us that she was supposed to have gotten married in June, but that she had gotten cold feet.

We picked up some more passengers along the way. They were two girls that seemed to be going back and forth between their parents. They rode in the back of the shuttle. They tried to sleep for a little while and were smart enough to bring a blanket. I had wished that I had brought one because I am so cold-natured. Then when they had woken up, they quizzed each other on Spanish vocabulary. "What is estrella?" "Star", I simply informed them.

Did you know that it takes a cactus seventy to one hundred years to grow its first arm? That is a tidbit of information that Simone passed along. Since she had moved to Arizona, she had studied up a lot on legends, colloquialisms, history, and culture. She also made a joke that it looked like the cacti with two arms were flipping us off. I had never really thought about that before, but ever since she said that every cactus that had two arms looked like it was flipping me off.

We finally arrived at the Sky Harbor airport in one piece. My stomach took a nose dive as I realized the countdown had begun for getting on yet another plane. We hadn't managed to get a direct flight to Nashville. We were going to have to make a detour to Texas and then catch a connecting flight into Nashville. We stood in line to tag our luggage and get our boarding passes. There was a little girl in front of me carrying a Beauty and the Beast suitcase. She was so cute despite it looked as though her mother hadn't bothered brushing her hair that morning. She looked back at me and smiled. I thought to myself, this child is not afraid to get on a plane, so why am I?"

The countdown continued as Mom and I grabbed some lunch in the heavily air conditioned airport. Despite, the cold air I was in the mood for a Wendy's frosty. Yum. I thought that it might calm my nerves. Shortly, it was time to board the plane to Houston. The passenger I sat beside this time wasn't in any mood for a candid conversation like Bryan had been a week ago. He ordered tomato juice over ice as his drink of choice. Yuck. It smelled so bad. I was so glad to get off that plane because of the smell of that tomato juice not to mention the less than smooth landing. It had made me dizzy. Once we landed there wasn't much time until the connecting flight. So Mom and I visited the facilities and waited for our next flight. We were in the "A" group this time so we would get first choice of seats.

I opted for sitting in the middle for the last leg of the trip. Soon we would be arriving in Tennessee. Home. There is no place like it. This very nice lady sat next to me on the trip home. She was originally from the Northeast, but she had been living in Houston for quite awhile. It turned out that she and her husband were going to be moving to my hometown soon. She was meeting him in Nashville and they were going to drive west to look at some houses on the market. During the flight, she asked me about restaurants and entertainment. She asked me what I did for a living, which really isn't anything spectacular because I am in transition mode for the time being. I hesitated to tell her that I had published a book and that I just so happened to have a copy in my carry-on bag. My Mom had pulled it out for Randy to look at it. She asked if she could buy that copy and would I please sign it. I was so pleased. It was the smoothest flight and it seemed like it took no time at all. Still it had been a very long day, and coming back we had lost two hours. I turned to my Mom and said, "On this trip especially today, we have seen so many different walks of life". She pondered my observation for a moment, and agreed with me.

On our final descent into the Nashville airport, we looked out the window and there was a cloud cover. It felt like we were walking through the clouds. I looked down at the earth below, and I saw the green trees. The atmosphere is so different here than in Arizona. I felt my ears pop for probably the first time on all four flights. I breathed in the air and it was filled with moisture instead of dry heat. I felt a chill for the first time in a week. And I felt precipitation. Even though it was raining, I was glad to be home in Tennessee.

I am thankful for every new person I met this week. Every person had a purpose for going to where he or she was going. The heart is a traveler. My heart was calling me to Arizona to visit my aunt because I had not seen her face to face in six years. People are searching for a place to belong and feel safe. I felt safe in Arizona among family. It was a time that I will never forget. I am a link in a legacy of some pretty remarkable women. I hope that these people who I encountered find or have found that place where they feel safe and belong. We get so caught up in our destinations, that often times, we can't appreciate or enjoy our journeys as they are happening. We live in a very diverse world filled with different shades of the rainbow and rich in culture. No matter where we travel on life's journey, whether it is Arizona, Tennessee, or any state in between, whether we go for a ride, a flight, or simply pass by someone on the street we will encounter many different walks of life.

Perhaps the greatest of travelers are those who have put their life on the line for their country those who have served proudly in the Armed Forces, Army, Navy, or the Marine Corp. These war veterans definitely deserve to be saluted for their courageousness as we continue to fight the war against terror. These people who represent our country certainly have and will continue to encounter many different walks of life. May we all find peace.

Here is one of my favorite songs "Show Me the River" by Eastmountainsouth. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

First Verse:
I've been a traveler of far away lands
I've got love on my mind, but death on these hands
Come homeward angel, show me the way
Or will fate leave me dead in the tracks where I lay

Chorus:
Show me the river that leads to my home back to the one that I love
Show me the wind that constantly blows and I will fly away, fly away home

Second Verse:
Since we were parted I know I have changed
You'll see the blood that was shed in the lines on my face
But now that I've turned my back on the fight
I'm gonna steal back my life like a thief in the night
I come to you through fire and snow over high rolling hills and the valleys below
With all that I've suffered I'm still on this road and if I hold you again will never let go

Chorus:
Show me the river that leads to my home back to the one that I love
Show me the wind that constantly blows and I will fly away, fly away home