November 22

The sun has set upon the last day of our homely habitation, ushering in a wildly different but familiar lifestyle of travel, late nights, long days and purpose. Life on tour is a series of experiences that gleam and flicker in your memory like burning stars in a constellation, always appearing in my consciousness as if I was looking into the sky nightly. I love to rattle my brain and see what memories fall out. I have been to so many thousands of places and can connect experiences with simple things of reference. For instance, on television the other day there was an advertisement for one-way deals on flights. All the prices were listed with their respective cities, an eclectic mix of destinations that would spot an atlas of the United States like chicken pox. I realized as the cities flashed before me that I had been to every single one of them, and most of them more than 5 times. Who can really say that? Flight attendants, businessmen, venture capitalists opening franchises…none of those sound very fun. I really feel a great sense of accomplishment and appreciation when I sit here in the dark with the wheels underneath my feet rolling yet again; taking me to distant places I have been to before and am excited to see. Life will be much different when I return home. The ground will be covered in powdery snow, grocery stores will be playing Christmas carols, and I will be with my whole family sharing dark beer and eating cheese and crackers. Home will feel like home again. That is why I am happy to leave it today. Everything will be there when I get back and it will feel good to miss it for a month.