WALKING ROUTE 66
When You Look for Inspiration and Purpose
The student, and the teacher, they’re one and the same.
That’s Andrew and me. He is an interesting young man, but more about him in a minute. Let me begin where I left off yesterday.
It was still early in the day, and Hamel, another ten miles down the road, has a truck stop. By the time I got there, I was exhausted, yet felt rejuvenated by all the goodness I had encountered. I was ready for a shower.
But, first, I wanted to get the load off my feet and give them some rest. I bought a drink at the McDonald’s inside the truck stop and sat down. Next thing I knew, it was 4 AM, and my alarm was going off.
I took a shower and got refreshed, and went back to McD to get some coffee. The manager said that she had taken one of my flyers and sent me a friend’s request on FB after reading my stories. She even bought me breakfast.
The plan was to leave early, but the weather had taken a turn overnight, and it was raining. I waited for the rains to subside before leaving.
Have you ever been outside immediately after the rain? It’s a photographer’s dream. There is something magical about the light after a rainstorm. The same magic that creates rainbows also contributes to excellent photography.
They have converted some of the old railroad tracks between Hamel and Edwardsville into hiking and biking trails. It was great to walk with freedom without having to worry about the traffic.
I was about a mile north of Edwardsville when a car pulled up next to me, and a young man rolled the passenger window down and asked me where I was headed? He asked me if I would be willing to talk to him for a few minutes. Sure, I could always use a break and some company.
Andrew is a 28 years old songwriter looking for meaning and purpose in life. Been there, done that, except for the songwriting part. He wanted to know what was the inspiration and purpose behind my walk.
As the saying goes, when the student is ready, the teacher shows up. Sometimes, the teacher shows up as a student. I told him that’s what precisely I was asking myself just a minute ago. We sat on the railings and talked.
He showed me a picture of a moth on his phone. The moth had shown up at his front door as he was leaving. He said that moths are considered messengers, and he had prayed earlier in the morning for a sign.
He told me he is a journeyman and itching to get out but feels stuck housesitting the family farmhouse. Meeting me today is just the inspiration he needed to move forward. He said he wished there was something he could do to pay me for the inspiration. I told him he had already blessed me with the best gift — a confirmation that God is using me for His purpose, as I had prayed.
He hugged and parted company. As we shook hands, he slipped something in my palm.
I needed to get some copies of my flier made. I found an Office-Max, a Wal-Mart, and a Denny’s within the same shopping complex. I needed to shop for a new belt. The old one was running out of room to poke new holes. Yes, I was facing the danger of losing my pants.
I planned to stay at Denny’s for my overnight stop. I made balloons and gave them away as I always do whenever the opportunity presents. It happened to be the children’s night at Denny’s, and I was rewarded well for it. At one point, the manager came by and said that a gentleman called and paid for my dinner over the phone because his wife didn’t have any cash to tip me for the balloon sword I made for his son.
We talked a little, and he said he didn’t have any problem with me staying the night.
As I think back and reflect.
I can vividly see the spot in my mind’s eye, between Godly and Gardner, when I said, “Okay, God, use me as you see fit.”
Just before I met Andrew, I was thinking about one of my nephews, Aziz, who was having his 1/3rd life crisis. He challenged himself and his friends to test their resolve by stretching their comfort zone. He asked them to join him in climbing the Guadalupe Peak.
They laughed, what makes him think he can do it.
“If my uncle can do it at age 60, we can do it at 35. If not, we might as well accept that we’re done.”
He had called to tell me that, and to get some pointers on what to expect.
As I think back, I realize that I have forgotten that I had asked God to use me for the divine purpose, though he has been. It is time for me to do some rethinking and soul-searching.
Stay blessed and be happy, my friends.
Day 25: Satisfaction (Original blog post)
Just for fun
I can’t get no satisfaction.
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 you’d like to come along, let me know, so I can tag you.
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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. (Get the Newsletter)
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An interview by Gurpreet Dhariwal
