Livin' ina tent down by t'river!

     Music:
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHekNnySAfM
     And here's a good harmonica resource I'll be utilizing:
     http://www.angelfire.com/tx/myquill/DiatonicTechniques.html


     Reflections:
     I am so thankful I am on this journey. I am thankful because I can see how I have changed, especially now that I have this time to stop and think. For example, the person I was when I left, just two months ago, would be feeling completely different emotions right now. I broke my arm, lost my Journal, debit card, ID, and am pretty much stuck in Newport Tennessee, which I am told has the highest crime rate in the whole of the state. I'm covered in bug bites, dirt, and sun burns, am constantly warding off all manner of arthropods, have to do everything one-handed, my other arm throbbing with pain most of the time, and I'm running out of convenient places to dig a whole (I'll just let you figure out what that's for). The me just two months ago would not have been a happy camper.
     I would have cursed this situation, letting each bit of discomfort stress me out and wear me down. I would have searched for some way out, even if it meant greatly troubling someone I loved by asking for their help. I would have given up. The pain, loneliness, uncertainty, and fear would have been too great for me and I would have quit.
     But now, not so. I sit here at the library of this small Tennessee city with resolution and determination. My path, my goals, are clear. No amount of struggle will cause me to waiver. And while I do accept the help of others, often, I do not rely on it. I have the knowledge to fulfill all my needs, and the strength to make it happen, even with just one arm. These points of growth are both humbling to me personally, but what I am most thankful for in how I have changed is that despite the aforementioned long list of complaints, I am deeply thankful for what I do have.
     A kind man who brought me to the hospital also set me up in his tent by a beautiful river. He gave me some food, including his own bread and milk. I am near enough to walk to this local library and a soup kitchen, and the many kind people of this town that I have met have been giving me water when I ask. All that is every resource I need to survive, but I am so blessed that a honest-to-goodness angel came to me for four days and helped me get to the doctor I needed to see, find the man who is holding Lionheart, and left me with several days of delicious food and several supplies that I may need. I am so so so thankful for all these things, and as I sit by or inside my tent, reading, writing, thinking, or practicing harmonica, I do not lament my menial hardships but feel a deep sense of gratitude for the many gifts given to me. It is precisely that change from just two months ago that I am acutely aware of and most thankful for.
     I am certain that as I continue down my path, there shall be more and more hardships. I'll admit, when my arm broke I was a bit overwhelmed by it all and got a little melodramatic (sorry). However, I'm proud that I never even considered giving up and am actually enjoying the experience to the point where I can say I'm glad I broke my damn humerus—not that I plan on doing it again.
     Lastly, a more anticipated change (though the extent of which can never be known until felt) is my broadening perception. What is life like in Tennessee? How is it different from Connecticut? How is it the same? What are the people like? What is nature like? Before I left Connecticut, I could only guess as to the answers to these questions using information mostly gathered from movies or hearsay. But now, I am gaining a much better understanding of the answers to these questions, for Tennessee and for other places I have traveled through and explored. By seeing and understanding the different ways that people live their lives I gain a deeper understanding of the human condition. Currently I am experiencing life in small town Tennessee, and it's a real tatter
     With all that being said, I still have one thought persisting in my mind. I saw a news report about a teenager that got attacked by a shark. They lost their arm. A woman I met in town showed me some pictures of a family in the Philippines that her church was supporting—they have to walk several miles just to get fresh water, among other hardships. I read an article about refugees from a war torn African country being taught English here and how thankful they were for that opportunity. I've seen people at the soup kitchen coming in with their whole family in toe. I've met people that are not on the road by choice like me, but were kicked out of their homes years ago and just don't know any other way to live. No matter how tough things are, things are tougher for someone else somewhere. The world is filled with suffering. I want to live my life and complete my goals, but I feel privileged that I can even begin to think such thoughts. Why am I so lucky? Why has my life been so blessed that I may even have these choices? I have absolutely nothing to complain about. My entire life has been easy and fantastic compared to the trails of some people. I am who I am and I suppose I can't apologize for that, but I can't pretend to be something I'm not. I'm a dude from Connecticut, exploring my country, learning about it and its people, and I am lucky to be alive.


     Pictures: 

Here's where I'm livin'

I've got everything I need.

Someone fishing left this soft blanket behind.
Perfect to sit on a watch the fire.

When I open the box of hazelnut cookies I have the tent doesn't smell so bad.
Once the morning sun hits the tent it starts to heat up.
That and some cheery birds are my alarm clock.

This is a popular fishing spot.
I meet a lot of people that are just coming by for that.

Made it to Knoxville to see the doc.
Only able to explore it a bit, but it seemed like a cool little city.

Pyre is ready to go.
Gettin' some harmonica play in.
I can't make a sound box or wahwah effects but at least I can practice

The space inside the sticks heats up like an oven until the whole thing goes up.
The you can just place big logs in there and the heat will light them up too!

Gave a quick TED talk about not climbing wet logs at midnight.

     Poetry: 

     "Vacation"

     Lost in darkness, both you and I

     Grasping, confused, easy to be led astray

     Through the storm, you found the way

     Brought together, night turned to day

     Now we may lean! Rest upon one another

     Hardship, struggle, just words from the past

     For we hold a secret, guide die being cast

     With the other in sight, we consider ourselves last

     So we are one, in our bubble of wood and starch

     Whether resting in shade, by a river of life

     Or endeavoring in sun, our only tool my knife

     All is bliss, every moment with joy is rife

     And language fails to tell us what we are

     Superfluous, for we understand in our hearts

     As life flows by, washing up sweets or tarts

     Our love is timeless, connecting all our parts

     But just as the day must always come to end

     You take your leave with the setting of the sun

     My fuel for fire. My lantern in the night

     Your care gave me hope. Your wings gave me flight!

     How would I ever have found my way, without you, my light!?

     And when again will I see the way fire lights your face?

     When again will I hold you in my embrace?

     When again will I know you and your taste?

     I hold faith, that my path will one day lead again to you

     'Til that time, as you brighten the lives of the people you choose

     Know that your place in my heart never shall you lose

     For you have taught me just as much as I have taught you.