WALKING ROUTE 66
When You Get To A Shower After 3 Days
Remembering life’s simple pleasures.
As I wrote on my blog four years ago,
I woke up about 1:30. No cops came by to offer city hall foyer, no concerned neighbors bringing me food. Heck, I wasn’t even bothered by the bugs. But the bench could have been a bit wider, but I am grateful.
I learned that it is better to get a few hours of naps here and there than to expect a full night’s sleep. That is how it’s going to be over the next six months. Besides, I hardly ever sleep for more than five hours a night.
I hung out at Casey’s General Store, and then at Circle K, until dawn. That’s where I met Elizabeth Francine, the lady in the picture above. She had stopped by to buy her “last pack of cigarettes.” She said that she has an appointment with a hypnotherapist later to help her quit smoking.
I created a balloon butterfly to match her outfit; butterflies are a symbol of transformation and a new life. I hope she is smoke-free now. I quit smoking in 1983, and it has been a blessing.
It was a two-and-a-half-hour walk to Gardner. I passed Godley, where Ty lives, and the Illinois Route 66 Mining Museum is. It was way too early to go to the museum.
After getting some breakfast and a nap at the Gardner Family Restaurant, I headed down the road to the Love’s Truck Stop, another three hours away. I hadn’t taken a shower since I left Chicago three days earlier.
The only excitement of the day was photography.
Once I got to the truck stop, and before I jumped into the shower, I posted some pictures of this shape-shifting cloud on Facebook, as it changed shape. Those following my journey had fun describing what they saw at various stages.
They may not be the best pictures taken through heavy glass, but life is all about enjoying simple pleasures, not perfection.
When you slow down just a bit, life gives you much to be joyful. When we forget this basic knowledge, Mother Nature has a way of forcing us to slow down and remember.
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 tagged but would like to come along, let me know so that I can tag you.
Michele Amy Trista Henery Timothy Tim P.G. Sherry Gurpreet Saloni Indra Sharon Tree Linda Britni Desiree Elisabeth Simona Kristin Helen Julia Rosennab Tom Truenorth Agnes Aurora LauraRaduenz Catherine Joe Alison
As always, thank you for reading and responding.
Here are a couple of earlier stories:
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. (Get the Newsletter)
More about me:
An interview by Dr. M Yildiz for ILLUMINATION
Testimonial by other writers.
