Thumbs Out
A girlfriend of mine once defended me to her father by saying, calmly, “Not every one who wanders is lost.” The dad kicked me out of the house anyway. But the damage had been done. Not everyone who wanders is lost. Of course I had to see her again. That was during the summer after my second year in college, and when I decided to leave school the following winter, I had but one destination in mind. Except that I was heading to Kansas City, where I figured jobs were easier to come by, instead of Wichita, 200 miles to the south, where she was living and asking me to go.
The following is the story about how I went from Kansas City to Wichita. The why is obvious. She was like sunshine. And so I went to her. It was my first but not last time hitchhiking. I've since hitchhiked from Boston to Georgia. From Philadelphia to Miami, Kansas City to Chicago, Mexico to Vegas, LA to Mexico and Miami to New Orleans. I've hitchhiked for dances, girls, nostalgia and fun. But those reasons only matter at night when it's just me and the moon and a constant shiver warming my body. During the day while I’m walking and hitching I feel many more ways. Hitchhiking does that. It makes you vulnerable.
It is beautiful too. On my way from Kansas City to Wichita a pick-up truck stopped by my side. The two guys in it explained they were heading in the other direction but thought I could use some money. I thanked them so genuinely, I think, that they were inclined to decline. ``Don't thank us,'' the driver said, as he pointed heaven-ward. Fortunately, I had enough gratitude to share all around.
But perhaps that episode needs an introduction for it to punch. I had dropped out of school to move to Kansas City, as I said, to be closer to a girl I liked. When Amtrak dropped me off in Kansas City at dawn I walked without direction until I say a rock station’s billboard quoting Mick Jagger: ``I know it's just rock 'n roll but I like it.'' Nothing had ever made more sense to me. Of course. Life was a thing to be lived — no justification required — so I walked onto Interstate 35 heading south. If I was going be close to her I was going be close to her.
Gratitude is a gift that the earth urgently needs. Consistent gratitude is a form of recognition of the gift and the giver. Daily gratitude can help eliminate the need for more and practicing more of only what we need. Gratitude leads to a society of contentment rather than one that's always in need of more. We human individuals have conventions for appreciation; we apply them formally to each other. We say thank you. “We understand that receiving a gift
I stood there thinking for a long time. I saw all the busses come and go. Then in the distance, I saw the bus I had become so familiar with coming back.
Then I thought of her walking up the street and stepping into the car, as I had last seen her, and of course in a little while I felt like hell again."
If someone today left 40 dollars at a store you were shopping at won't you feel like that is really generous? Well leaving 40 dollars at stores is a job from an Alberta family. The alberta family wanted to remember their grandmother with random acts of kindness.
Inspired by the kindness of strangers, the author wrote a book Saying Thanks and Beyond: Is Saying Thank You Enough? (Archway Publishing, 2017). As the book’s title suggests, the author promotes new
The sacrifices made by these millions of people on a daily basis are often praised, but sometimes overlooked. A thank you and a hand shake will suffice for most, but that’s
Growing up as an only child I made out pretty well. You almost can’t help but be spoiled by your parents in some way. And I must admit that I enjoyed it; my own room, T.V., computer, stereo, all the material possessions that I had. But there was one event in my life that would change the way that I looked at these things and realized that you can’t take these things for granted and that’s not what life is about.
The bus ride felt like eternity, but I did not mind since I made so many new friends at this camp. I sat next to Bridget, a girl I met from Florida, and we talked
I felt a chill go through my body as I sat on the edge of the wagon. Nights were always chilly out here, and we didn’t have as many blankets as we did when we started the journey on the Oregon Trail. My smaller brother had thrown one of them in our fire in a fit of rage, and several others had gotten dragged off by a coyote in the middle of the night. That was fine with me. We needed all the space we could get in our cramped wagon. Fitting six people and their possessions on a wagon made for four was no easy task, and it resulted in an uncomfortable lack of privacy. Still, an extra blanket right now would have been nice. The wagon rumbled along steadily. There was an occasional jaunty bump, but the wagon kept going. The constancy was comforting in a way. The continuous grumble of the wagon helped me forget all that I had lost on the Oregon Trail.
While tripping in Milwaukee Wisconsin and helping out with the needs of the church that we were stationed at, I began to be thankful for all of the little things I have in life. This would include my shower, my nice clothes, and any other things that I have been blessed with in my life. You should never take things for granted, because things can come and go quickly in life like a blink of an eye. When walking around in the downtown of Chicago surrounded by the hundreds of people and the flying by of cars and trains, another thought came to my mind. The thought was, “ Count the blessings that you have in you life everyday and be thankful for them, while still working hard to achieve the goals of why you are here today”. This thought connects to my life considering that I plan on moving to Chicago for Law School and opening up my own law firm there as well, though I should still be thankful for what I’m blessed with right now in my awesome
My trip to El Paso, Texas was an adventure full of excitement and new experiences. My father and I made the trip there to pick up my brother and move his stuff home. This was my first time ever going to Texas and I was excited to go on this road trip with my father, john, plus I haven’t seen my brother in a year. There are many reasons why I will always remember this trip and some moments where I was scared for my life.
What does it really mean to be generous? This paper will examine the poem In Praise of Generosity (as cited in Davis, 2009, pp. 30-31). The paper will include a summary of the poem and a personal reflection of my thoughts.
That smile you’re wearing says, ‘you know not where you’re going, but you trust that the road will take you there’.
I believe in finding a home. When I traveled to New York for the first time, I realized I was taking a plane ride to the one place that would change my life forever. New York was the most extraordinary place I’d ever witnessed, tourists were everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Believe it or not, all of those people had stories of their own to share with the world.
Robert Frost, one of America's greatest poets, in his poem The Road Not Taken, said: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.” I read the poem in my childhood, and ever since it has become as it were, a part of me. I have over the years asked myself whether I ever thought of taking the road less travelled.