WALKING ROUTE 66
The Best Of People Is Revealed In Crisis
Even when it is only a perceived crisis.
My sleeping bag “mattress” was surprisingly comfortable on the floor of the storage shed. I woke up, well-rested, and relaxed.
When I emerged from the shed, the morning had broken, but the sun was not up yet. I headed for Summer Fresh to get some coffee and a bite to eat. They weren’t open, so I headed across the freeway to Hannah’s General Store.
The goal was to get to Marshfield, 12 miles away. The road between Conway and Marshfield is narrow, with no shoulder to walk on. Going up and downhill presented an added challenge, and for the first time, I was a bit concerned about my safety.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one. Someone had called the police that a crazy guy was on the highway endangering the life of a baby. An SUV from the Missouri DOT approached me from the opposite direction. The officer was responding to the call. We talked, I gave him my flyer, and he said that if I were ever in need of help to dial *55 on my cell phone and the Highway Patrol would be there to assist.
Then a gentleman stopped and offered a ride. I thanked him and handed him a flyer. A couple of miles down the road, he and his wife came out to meet me. She had brought some chilled water bottles and cheese crackers. We talked about our respective Faiths and trusting God. It was a nice little break on a sunny, hot, and muggy day.
I arrived in Marshfield around 3 PM. The first order of business was to find a place for a sponge bath and a change of clothes. McDonald’s did the trick, and I paid for a soft drink. They had Powerade on their soft drink dispenser, which was just what I needed to replenish myself with electrolytes and do some research for a place to spend the night.
I discovered that there is a park funded and operated by Rotary International that is open to the public, 24 hours a day. It was about two miles, or a 45-minutes walk, from where I was.
Later that evening, Terry called, and we met for dinner. He made good on his promise to pay me for being on his show.
The Rotary park had a large pavilion with plenty of picnic tables. It was time to bid the world goodnight.
As I think back and ponder.
When I posted on Facebook about being met by the Hwy Patrol because a concerned citizen had called them, there was a mixed reaction from my followers. Some of them felt that people should mind their business instead of calling the police.
While I can see their point of view, I am grateful that people care enough to take action when they feel the need.
Stay blessed and be happy, my friends.
Day 42: (Original blog post).
Just for fun.
I invite you to tag along if you’re up to it. I am tagging a few friends who I think will be interested. If you are tagged but don’t want to read my stories daily, just let me know in the comments, and I will not tag you moving forward. If you are reading this and aren’t included in the list below, but you’d like to come along, let me know so that I can tag you.
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As always, thank you for reading and responding.
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Rasheed Hooda is a published author, and a regular contributor and editor for ILLUMINATION, a writers’ community on Medium, where writers support each other.
He is a self-proclaimed weirdo who lives a Freedom Lifestyle and writes about related topics — Travel (a top writer), Personal Growth, Freedom, and entrepreneurship. (Buy him a coffee)
