Call to adventure?

[featherynscale]

Yesterday afternoon, I was driving away from work, towards perhaps dinner before a meeting, and I found myself on the highway and in the state of mind that makes me want to just keep on driving. It's a particular spell of the road, a voice inside my head that occasionally seizes my attention and says, "Hey you! Adventure, this way!"

Usually I can shut this voice up with no trouble at all. I'm pointed the wrong way, I tell it. I'm low on gas. I'm broke. There's a storm up the road. Sometimes though, like yesterday, it's more difficult, beccause those physical constraints don't apply. It was a beautiful day, I was headed north and vaguely west, the tank was full, and the bank account was flush with severance checks and tax returns.

I try to distract the voice, in these situations. Pull off, I tell myself. Get something to eat. Hey look, an exit. Don't you have to pee? If I can get out of the car, the drive to, well, drive, usually disengages. Then I am safe for a bit, maybe an hour or two. Then I distract myself again.

This happens all the time. I'm not trying to run away from anything, and I'm not running to anything either. Some days, I just want to drive for the joy of driving. There are all sorts of places I haven't been, and they're all down the road, somewhere.

But I am a responsible adult, and I have a job to go to, and meetings to attend, and classes to teach, and rituals to plan, and a family to be with, and so on and so forth, so I hardly ever actually go.

I want to, though, on a regular basis, and once the drive surfaces once, it usually recurs off and on for the next few days. So if you see me getting into a car this weekend, and I am by myself, remind me to go home, would you?

Also, completely unrelated to anything else, my sister has, for some reason, named her baby Landon. Landon Wayne. That poor kid has got his life cut out for him, no?

Comments

[starwyse.livejournal.com]

Should we ever find ourselves together in a car we are doomed. I love, love to do this and have been known to and even called a job one Monday morning to say I wan't coming to work knowing I would be fired (and I was) because the pull of the raod was that strong.

I'd say I'll help you with that but it's not the kind of help that will keep you focused on your responsibilities... ;-)

Wanderlust

[lexpendragon.livejournal.com]

Same Problem. I Do My Best To Stav It Off Until The Weekend, And Then Go Someplace Far Away, For No Damn Good Reason. Like Meeting People For Pizza In Chicago.

Re: Wanderlust

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Further note to self: Do not get into car with Lex, either :)

Re: Wanderlust

[lexpendragon.livejournal.com]

Oh, Yeah, And If you Find Yourself Headed West, Consider This A Standing Offer Of Crash Space.

Re: Wanderlust

[lexpendragon.livejournal.com]

Or, Ya Know, East, The Direction I Actually Live, Relative To You.


Sorry, It's Late For Me.

Re: Wanderlust

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Sweet. Thank you!

Re: Wanderlust

[starwyse.livejournal.com]

In July. The plans are slowly taking shape for Friday June 30th through Monday July 3rd. When I get confirmation, you will be the second person to know!!!

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Note to self: Do not get in the car with Star. :)

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

You wouldn't think it of me, but I'd do it in a heartbeat, too.

[druidevo.livejournal.com]

I've done it in a heartbeat.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Me too, but not very often. Usually I only actually do it when I'm pissed off, since really, pissed off often equals dramatic lack of impulse control in my world.

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

I am a foundation to which you can get in a car and feel comfortable that I will get you to the intended location without deviation and generally as fast as possible. I hate driving. I am too impatient. When we *have* to go somewhere, I want to get there as fast as possible and be done with it.

You are safe with me... :-) Unless we are late and I really really really don't want to be driving, which brings the issue of safety while *moving*.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Hee! Good to know.

[opaljax.livejournal.com]

"I will get you to the intended location without deviation and generally as fast as possible."

Except to my house ::ducking:: :D

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

That's the main reason I hate driving! I get very nervous when in unfamiliar terriroty, hence, *ABSOLUTLY NO WONDERLUST HERE*!! :-P

[druidevo.livejournal.com]

I used to get that all the time while in the Marines, and I still get it form time to time, but now I can say to myself that I need to wait to drive to Evansville.

Now my wonderlust I let out in small bursts with several hour long walks around the neighborhood. However I think this is more of a delaying action.

Hell, if I won the Lottery I would just have to drive for a few months so I could just get it out of my system... for a few days or so.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Extended aimless travel is always on my list of things I'd do if suddenly rich. And I'm pretty sure I could get kittenpants to do it with me. triadruid, I'm not so sure about.

aimless travel

[rfunk.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much my "suddenly rich" plan too. The biggest question is inside the US or flee it.

This topic reminds me of the (Chicago-based band) Reputation song "Either Coast":
I can always head for either coast roll down the windows drink the road

Doom Doomy Doom

[zylch.livejournal.com]

Yet another note to you: really, really don't get into a car with me. For lo, these other people may wander and then come back, but I'll end up getting a job wherever I happen to stop and then living there for a while -- at least until I go wandering again.

Re: Doom Doomy Doom

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

You were, in fact, the banner case we discussed this morning when this came up.

Some of these other folks were, in fact, a surprise to me. But you? Not a surprise, despite the fact that this is one trait we *don't* share.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Whereas I, in fact, will take long road trips at slight provocation. But I need:
a) an itinerary
b) a map (unless I've been there before)
c) a budget, more or less
d) traveling music
e) a destination, or destinations.

Cordian wanderlust, eh?

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

Organized chaos? Where's the fun in that?

[zylch.livejournal.com]

::snerk:: icon love.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I can do it that way, too. But that's sort of a different impulse, the impulse to actually *go somewhere*. This thing, it's mostly about the going, not about the getting there.

So, want to drive to Florida? (I say facetiously, knowing that kittenpants will so, so not be down with that.)

requirements

[rfunk.livejournal.com]

a) itinerary? only required if you're expected somewhere/sometime in particular.
b) map - they sell those at the gas station. My glove box is full of maps from places I've driven.
c) budget - ok, that's a good one. Depends on what you intend to do. Ample amounts of cash do come in handy though, and credit cards help for long multiple-day excursions.
d) traveling music - you mean you don't always have that with you?
e) destinations can be artificial goals to rationalize "point the car that way and go". And give a convenient marker to stop and say "turn around or keep going to a new destination?"

[opaljax.livejournal.com]

*mwah* no, Honey, just anal. However, after calling you anal, this is me as well. Especially the traveling music part.

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

Whereas I am not particularly enamored of travelling. So, I will be home with:

A) Bail money - should it be required
B) An cable modem connection to Mapquest - should you get lost
C) Amusing anecdotes - should you get bored on the road

Put my number in your cell phone, and happy trails!

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Also good to know. But will you drive to wherever to bail us out?

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

::theatrical sigh with hand to forehead::

For you, I'll make the sacrifice.

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

I should point out that money can be wired just about anywhere too...

[ysabel.livejournal.com]

You know, we're only about 8 hours away or so.

Unfortunately, western Kansas is not the most interesting drive...

[ysabel.livejournal.com]

However, there are some awesome mountain drives within 5 minutes of my house, and I regularly take the new motorcycle up there...

[ysabel.livejournal.com]

And for the non-motorcycle-inclined, I have a little red sports car that is really a lot of fun on mountain drives...

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Oooh, shiny. Actually, I'm told that the drive from KC to Denver is an important cultural experience that is necessary in order to understand the psyche of the Midwesterner. So I'm supposed to do it at some point.

[zylch.livejournal.com]

With luck I'll be managing to get out there this summer, sometime before I wander extensively eastwards. Want to come along if I do? (I say, blithely exteniding an invitation on behalf of my in-and-outlaws)

[zylch.livejournal.com]

I should add that while I can't promise I won't get an apartment and a job out there, I'll at least make sure you get back here in a reasonable timeframe ;-)

[orcjohn.livejournal.com]

Every couple of years, I get into my car pick a random direction and drive until I either a)am too tired to drive any further, or b) find something interesting to stop and investigate. If I find I have been driving in one direction for long enough to get bored with it, I just flip a coin (or roll a die) to decide which direction I'm going to turn onto when I hit the next highway. I usually end up in some strange places, spend the night at a cheapy motel. And spend the next couple of days finding interesting ways to get back home.

I've found some neat sidewalk art-type shows, a couple of city/county fair thingy's and countless WTF moments.

Always a lot of fun. If you ever want a companion for an adventure, let me know.

[infintysquared.livejournal.com]

It bears repeating that: A) I love you. B) I love the people that love you. C) I love your journal posts. They make me smiley.

[lysana.livejournal.com]

Landon Wayne? Hm. I've seen worse.