Mindy says take a hike

I like to ask about wanderlust. It's a nice conversation to have with those who have spent time on the road, or even with those who never get the urge to pack a bag and go.

This time last year I met a traveling poet, who'd just performed a bit of spoken word at the bar across the street. And who better to ask about wanderlust than a traveling poet?

I tracked her down on Facebook and sent her a good, old fashioned, fan note, and this was her response:

Arthur! I think the wanderlust is just the human in you wanting to go out in to the world and play. Why wouldn't you want to go out and play? If it doesn't get satisfied from time to time, you might start doing things like redecorating your house again or sinking into a television set or getting cranky with waitresses and your mother.

Life on the road is anti-glamorous. You spend a lot of time being half awake and kind of dirty, and wondering if the feeling you feel is hunger or thirst or exhaustion. But it's a guaranteed psychological stretching of the legs. New perspective shopping. Eye opening.

Being a touring poet is, of course, an extra special way to explore the world. It's more gear-intense then being a wanderlusting hobo and less gear-intense than being a musician. I get to meet really interesting people everywhere I go, awe at new landscapes, think brand new thoughts, and eventually miss my couch and my stove. 

Dissatisfaction is just an urge to grow. There's so many ways to un-rut. The opposite of depression is inspiration. If your inspired to wander, do it, even if its just a little. I can't tell you whether you should pack up your stuff and really get gone for awhile. But no one's going to hand you the life you really want to live, you know? You have to take it.

talk to you soon,
m

Mindy Nettifee, by the way. Check her work out some time. She is incredible. So I'm finally ready to go. Well, almost. I've still got more packing and purging to do. I'll spend most of March on the road in Ohio, stopping in to greet old friends one last time. Taking a bus to New York City for a weekend of gallery hopping. Holing up in Athens for a week with a bunch of cheap wine.


Then I board a train bound for that beer drinking, nature lover's paradise known as Oregon.
Sleep on the beach.
Buy another motorcycle.
Meet up with fellow traveler, Ryan.
Couch surf until we find an apartment and work.


Here's where I'll document these travels as well as future adventures.


Cheers, friends.