WALKING ROUTE 66

What Happens When You Are Forced Into Action

How I learned to stretch my comfort zone.

I met some fantastic people and one not-so-amazing lady. However, I don’t blame her; she was doing her job the best she knew how. But I am jumping ahead of myself.

When I left Waffle House and got back on the old Route 66, I saw Ronnie walking on the other side with a backpack. He saw me and came across the highway. We were both excited to see someone else who was “traveling light,” as he put it.

Ronnie was looking for a better life than what he had. He had some connections in Denver, and that’s where he was headed — via Kansas City. Ronnie was going to hitchhike. He wasn’t as trusting as me and carried a baseball bat, to be safe. To each his own.

I had booked my ticket on Greyhound for my visit home to give back to my community, which was generously supporting me. Unfortunately, Greyhound still operated in the 20th Century; that meant I had to get my tickets printed from an email they sent me. I was looking for a place where I can get that done.

As I was fiddling on my phone to see if there was a place in the area, a lady stopped and asked if she can help. I told her about my challenge. She handed me her business card; she works at Evangel University. I was standing in front of her office building. If I forwarded the email to her, she’d be happy to print the tickets for me.

As I waited for her to return, the campus security police came by. Someone had reported a “homeless guy” loitering on campus. When he looked at my flyer, he took a picture in front of the marquee to send it to the college newsletter editor. I don’t know if I made the newsletter or not, but I had my printed tickets soon. I thanked the lady and moved on.

Terry Nesch, my Toastmaster friend from Houston, had called the local TV station in Springfield to inform them about my voyage through their city and texted me the contact info. I called them. There was a breaking news story in progress, and they were shorthanded for the day.

I noticed that the offices of Springfield Leader, the local newspaper, was on my way to the Flying J Travel Center, where I planned to spend the night. I gave them a visit. The lady at the front desk said that they would call me if interested. I am still holding my breath.

Between all the excitement that was going on and a heavy lunch I ate, I needed a nap — a siesta, if you will.

The shade tree in the park I was passing was very inviting, so I made myself comfortable. I had barely fallen asleep when the phone rang.

It was my childhood friend and the best man at my wedding, Sulaiman, calling from Dallas. He had just learned from his wife, who had been following me on Facebook about my adventure. (Sulaiman is not on FB). We talked for about half an hour or so; I could visualize him shaking his head as we spoke.

The sun was setting when I reached Flying J. It was a new place, only about a month old, and the place was buzzing with people. There were a couple of fast-food restaurants and a c-store within. I got something to eat and sat in a corner, charging my phone. A man came by and handed me a couple of packs of beef jerky and a twenty-dollar bill. He took the flyer as I thanked me profusely for his generosity.

The manager of the establishment wasn’t so generous. She came by to know what I was doing there. I shared my flyer, which she glanced at and tossed it back on the counter in front of me, and told me, “We don’t allow stragglers in here.” Funny, I thought, isn’t this place supposed to be a rest stop for travelers? I told her I was planning on getting a shower before leaving. She kicked me out of there at 2 AM.

As I said earlier, she was doing her job. She didn’t perceive me as a repeat customer, or at least not the kind she wanted. I worked in the hospitality industry for 30 years, and that’s not how I would treat anybody who was spending money in my place of business. But, to each their own.

I remembered James Bond’s immortal words delivered by Roger Moore; when asked if he knew what he was doing in trying to dismantle a nuclear warhead, he replied, “There has to be a first time for everything.”

It was the first time for me to be walking in the middle of the night. In case you’re wondering, I am here telling the story, ain’t I?

As I think back and ponder.

Yes, I was scared. I thought about backtracking to the park where I had napped earlier in the day. But as long as I was walking at night, why not walk forward instead of backward.

I turned the flashlight on my phone on and stuck it in the back of my pants so people can see the moving target and hopefully avoid hitting it. The traffic was heavier than I expected until I realized that I was moving toward the airport, and these were UPS and Fed-Ex trucks coming out of there.

I learned that unexpected circumstances are what bring out the courage within us to face life’s challenges. I was getting more than I had bargained for. Life was pushing me and forcing me to expand my comfort zone. We never really do anything that is beyond our comfort zone, but we can get comfortable doing things that we didn’t think we could.

Stay blessed and be happy, my friends.

Days 44 & 45: Springfield, Missouri (Original blog post).

Just for fun.

Here is to friends — old and new.

I invite you to tag along if you’re up to it. I am mentioning a few friends who may be interested in it. If you are tagged but don’t want to read my stories daily, let me know in the comments, and I will remove your name 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 add you.

Michele Amy Trista Henery Timothy Tim P.G. Sherry Saloni Indra B. A. Linda Sharon Tree Linda Britni Desiree Elisabeth Simona Kristin Helen Julia Chris Rosennab Tom Truenorth Agnes Aurora LauraRaduenz Catherine Joe Stuart Gurpreet BFoundAPen Margie Bob NaNa’sworld Wolfie Rebecca

As always, thank you for reading and responding.

Here are some of my other stories:

Rasheed Hooda is a published author who has contributed to many of Medium’s top Publications; The Startup, The Ascent, P.S. I Love You, Rogues’ Gallery, and ILLUMINATION, to name a few. He is also a Top Writer for several topics. If you like his work, buy him a coffee, he drinks a lot of it.