WALKING ROUTE 66
When You Cannot Change The Tide Of Time
Be careful where you put your attention.
Dr. Ahmed treated me to breakfast and drove me to the Greyhound station early because he had an appointment to attend.
Joplin 66 Hostel would’ve been where I’d have spent the night and leave my stroller for the week had I not made the connection with Dr. Ahmed.
I had plenty of time before leaving, so I made friends with people coming and going. I observed a trio of characters talking about the time they spent in prison and how they’re coping with life on the outside. Interesting conversation. I thought about the time I almost ended up behind bars, but that’s another story. No horseshoes or hand granades involved.
The bus left Joplin, MO, at 1:30 PM and arrived in Dallas around 2 AM, where I had a couple of hours layover before making my connection to Houston.
I had an ample amount of time to reflect on the bittersweet nature of the occasion as I rode the bus. On the one hand, I was heading home to be with my family, friends, and my community to celebrate Eid al Adha — the second of the two major Islamic holidays.
On the other hand, it was the 25th anniversary of my dad’s transition to the next life. He was my hero; I learned much from him. He taught me to question everything before accepting it as truth. That one lesson has made me the open-minded person I am today.
He also taught me to be a problem solver. Instead of giving me the answer to questions I had, he would show me how to find them myself.
As I think back and ponder.
They say, be careful where you put your attention. Whatever you focus on is likely to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The thought weighed heavily on my mind that day, and again today.
Years ago, I had heard a song by the group Bread that David Gates wrote about his regret of having missed his dad’s funeral because he was on tour.
When my brother called me with the news that my dad had a heart attack, I scrambled to get to Pakistan ASAP. But because of passport issues, I wasn’t able to make it back home in time to attend the funeral. I can only take solace in knowing that he felt at ease, according to my brothers, when he learned that I was coming, but delayed.
Stay blessed and be happy, my friends.
Days 52 & 53: Hiatus Begins (Original blog post).
Just for fun.
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.
