~ island life ~

What is it about walking down middle's of side streets at night?  Is it the absence of cars?  Is it the calming sense the moon and stars exude?  Is it the freedom?  Is it the mental metaphor of "we are all on our own roads and no matter what it's shape or pave to just keep moving forward?"  Is it all of the above?  Is it more?  Maybe.
Last night after a beautiful Monasterie's Exile from Death and Taxes, Peter and I walked down middle's of streets.  Reno was quite.  The day's spring winds had ceased.  The moon was 2 days until it's full.  The stars shown amidst the city lights and it felt good.  It might be that new beginnings are on the horizon.  A new city is imminent after much needed work, savings, and patience.  Despite the road's not changing in and of itself, new blocks begin always along the same road.  Have you ever pondered this life parallel?  Any roadway, highway, street, interstate, or path taken never leads to the exact same place.  It always has options.  It always has detours.  It always has exits and entrances.  It always has intersecting roads anew.  No matter the flow of traffic or the busyness it encapsulates, there is always another road leading elsewhere.  Maybe somewhere better.  Maybe somewhere worse.  Maybe just to the next somewhere.  As I strolled down the middle of the street last night, I noticed new side streets that I hadn't before.  It is easy to get into a routine route.  It is easy to hop on the same road and head to the same destination.  It's what is engrained to us from a young age.  Head down this road and it will get you to this destination.  What if that destination isn't what you imagined it to be?  Then what?  What if that end destination didn't have the beautiful things someone else told you, but the exit 40 miles back that headed south did.  What then?  
Last night as I was walking and breathing, it was as if time stood still.  What is time?  Does time exist?  Can it change speeds?  Not looking to my buddy Peter but rather the moon I asked him this question.  "In all your travels, all your cities and countries you've lived, what and when and why were you the happiest?"  The momentary silence was beautiful.  It was as if I could see China, Minnesota, San Diego, Chicago, Poland and the activities that he did paint a picture upon the street we were walking.  Then he said, "probably in college, in the summer, when three of my buddies and I hopped in the car and road tripped.  The windows were down, the air was warm, the music was flowing and there wasn't a worry in the world.  It was all about the now.  
What happened to the now?  It didn't go anywhere, but often it seems so far away.  Am I the only one who feels and thinks this way?  I sure hope not, but lately I've been practicing this mentality and it sure feels like I'm drifting away to my own island.  But then again, it's a beautiful island and the in my travels some of the most beautiful and exotic places I've set foot on have been remote islands off of Croatia and in the middle of the South Pacific.  Thus, if I am drifting toward my own island I say, yes please more.  Do you have an island?  Have you ever taken a one person raft through the ocean to your own private island?  Do you want to?  If so, maybe think about taking a different exit.  The place it leads may be pleasantly surprising.  

~namaste~