After finally getting my ass back on the road. I decided to stop in a nearby city back to Richmond for a rest and violin time in a park.
After a nap, I walked out to the paved path at the edge of the small river and found a bench.
What a day. I woke up in Christiansville early. Couldn't sleep. And I somehow found my way all throughout the mountains exploring some really cool stuff.
Take a look at my words and pictures. And... video!
Wow I ran into some characters today. I drove up to the top of a national park and spent the day in a parking lot with an epic view over the valleys. Here are some of the interactions I had while either playing my violin or sewing.
This place is incredible. On the Appalachian trail, a small wood hut sits atop a spine with a full view of the area. A continent of clouds rolls lazily across the sky. The sun eager to say hi with us, it's tendrils gripping the ground. A blue green haze sits atop the endless view. Such a pastel wonder, my eyes could not say no. The valleys so clearly defined. The plowed fields appearing as spots on an animals hide. The only sound was the wind. And what a wind it was.
I'm here. I did it. This is such a new feeling I do not know what to do with myself. I am real. I am REAL.
I have spent my entire life feeling detached from my body and my life. Always an observer, watching someone else's life. At age three I was petrified by my gender preferences knowing I dare not speak of it. My mother claiming I was never comfortable in my own skin could also have been indicative of my connective tissue disorder. By age eight I was using my intellect and empathy to turn myself down to avoid unwanted attention. By puberty, I was bullied, suicidal, and began tearing apart any sense of identity I had left. I have never felt real. Until now.
Yesterday, my exhaustion from the performance the night before kept my horizontal most of the day. Emotionally and physically spent.
I had planned to go on a night walk to commemorate the day and feed myself in a way I haven't been able to in a while. It turned into the most epic night I've had since starting this trip.
The universe put an open mic at a local cafe where my friend's roommate works in front of me. Given how I'd performed for one person a few days ago, then the couple I bought the stove from, it seemed like I was supposed to play here now. A real audience, active listeners, and more than two. Shit.
I don't normally write about the people I connect with. Partly a privacy thing, partly because it's a lot of vulnerability to handle.
However, I feel I had to write about someone I met this week and the subsequent communication. What I learned about myself. And where I'm still struggling.
I have a friend who also lives in a van. She asked if I could buy an alcohol stove for her she found on craigslist that was on the way for me. I obliged since it was only 2 hours out the way of a total 8 hour trip.
Today, I left my comfort zone to head north. I have a craiglist sale on Sunday I need to get to. As I drove mindlessly, I was struck by the idea to DO something, instead of simply travel. My exhaustion can be beat with interesting stuff right?
So I opted …
Looking at my assets required for this site, I knew FontAwesome was taking up bloat. I was including the whole font! But I'm using a small portion. It consumed 76kb! So I searched for how to make it smaller.
After a late night shower, I passed out naked in the bed. I was exhausted. I awoke before 4am. Gah, but why! I couldn't get back to sleep. So I packed up and headed to a coffee shop, only after helping two guys jump-start their car xD
It's only 7 …
