It was just me and the asphalt and the cows. The sun was bright enough to make cloud shadows sharp, and even as I drove, I thought I could see them crawl across the hills, across the golden plains and planted fields, these massive masses moving, enshrouding the land only to have it lit up again. It was gorgeous. Everything was gorgeous, even flying by at 80 miles per hour.
How can anyone be unhappy when they're in transit?
Movement--movement--a simulacrum of progress. Progress: forward movement. But any movement at all must be better than none.
4 comments:
I believe that movement is always good. I believe that change is always good, but at the same time, I've also realized that being in the same sort of place, or same type of process daily, a habit is also very good. It is hard and it calls for a gritting of teeth to bypass that waning interest in normalcy, but then one realizes the necessity in such discipline. it teaches us patience, it teaches us to be uncomfortable in being stuck. weird huh?
How can anyone be unhappy when they're in transit?
Carsickness, airsickness, seasickness, a blister while walking, blindfolded in a kidnapper's car, running from a bear, thinking about air pollution while driving a car... wait, was that a rhetorical question?
Progress is wonderful. It's interesting though to think that progress can't occur without some level of repetition, or as Monica says "being stuck." Like the saying "practice makes perfect." For a while it seems like you're stuck there, but then suddenly, there's a progression. Improvement is visible and growth occurs.
Too much movement doesn't necessarily bring results. Like a butterfly fluttering to and fro, here and there, but never actually landing on a flower. It's all about a balance between movement and rest, going in a straight line and aimless wandering that maximizes forward movement.
This totally makes me think of the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis concerning ecological succession, where the maximum amount of species diversity is obtained when there is a balance between too few disturbances and too many disturbances. Nerdy tangent, haha.
reading sus' comment, I thought of "run and tumble" of microbes... I too am quite nerdy. :P anyway, I drove for 2 hours on the I5 coming back from LA! I thought I'd be comfortable with going 70, but then after a while, it was more comfortable to go 80. Yet there were still drivers going 90 so I stayed on the right side... most of the time.
I think movement is good, but starting to move is hard. haha. Reminds me of my days right now cuz I'm bumming at home until my internship starts. I want to do something, but getting my mind to finally start thinking about what to do is sometimes difficult. -,- Progress can be hard to achieve and results can be hard to see, but knowing you're heading somewhere other than where you are now can be in itself either or both sometimes, yeah?
Dear Monica,
It IS weird. I suppose that sort of discomfort in being stuck is an indicator of internal change, so what seems like routine and normalcy and non-change is in fact growth!
Dear Susan,
Hahaha! Okay, you're right, one can easily be unhappy when they're in transit.
And I see you've already said what I just said to Monica, except more clearly and with a lovely butterfly analogy. I love that you think aimless wandering plays a part in maximizing forward movement! Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis...interesting...
Dear Melody,
You deserve a break! Don't feel bad about bumming around at home...you won't get to anymore once your internship starts.
I had thought that progress and results only come from directed movement, though, and that it isn't likely for progress to result from the mere act of heading away from present circumstances. But then Susan's butterfly analogy steps in!
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