Couchsurfing and Flowers

First CouchSurf Experience

May 2011

Flowers are multi-faceted creations of distinction

A succulent source of cross pollinating re-birth

Bursts and shots of warm, brilliant rainbows with

Unwitting wafts of scent to soothe or invigorate

A succulent source of cross pollinating re-birth

They multiply their infectious brilliance abundantly

Unwitting wafts of scent to soothe or invigorate

Iridescent butterfly-wings flutter eagerly above

They multiply their infectious brilliance abundantly

Bees drink lustily to return sticky sweetness from the nectar

Iridescent butterfly-wings flutter eagerly above and

Tremble with excitement just to be in the presence

We too, drink lustily of the bequeathed sweet nectar

The welcome and warmth of a refreshingly open heart

We tremble with the knowledge that good still exists

The sharing of home and hearth and easy conversation

The welcome and warmth of a refreshingly open heart

This, my first couchsurf experience, is Danna Flowers

With the sharing of home, deck, Abby, Kirby, and Sophi

Danna Flowers is a multi-faceted creation of distinction

On My Mind

Inspired by a dear friend, Phillis Humphries, who emailed this piece to me as I journey onward.

you are on my mind and in my heart

decisions are difficult to make

i usually have so many words

but today i am word-weary

because each of us has to do what we deem right in each situation

and only you can be the decider

Phillis Humphries

On My Mind

What I’ve found:

Decisions are difficult when WE make them.

Be still, embrace moments and allow decisions to arrive.

Be a kind person and ask for help.

People want to assist those who care.

Make a conscious effort to smile.

It helps others to create a smile and

Smiles lift and heal the heart.

Words have immense power.

So also, do hands, affection and thoughts

Reach, feel, and meditate when words flee

Thank your god for what you have, and

inspiration will appear in the atmosphere

Don’t miss your gifts by seeking them,

They arrive in emails, phone messages,

From friends, friends of friends and strangers.

Thank your god and smile.

Fields of Sunshine

Fields of Sunshine

Bloated darkness loomed overhead with threatening squash. Sprinkles turned to showers to open spigots, back to foreboding. Little Wabash River had become Little Wabash Flood-Land River. Feet from Highway 64, full grown trees peeked through rolling waves. An awesome sight of nature’s fearsome force in battle with man, leaving little doubt of the victor in the end bout.

In one moment, darkness dispelled by brilliant golden flames of Goldenrods that replaced the floods with fields of sunshine. Switch flipped from below to pierce the unchanged black above. Coming upon such radiance interrupted road concentration with a childlike wonder and impulse to skip through the fields clapping hands and singing hymns. Hymns! Of all things.

Majestic, glorious fields of radiant sun shining UP on me!

Traveling-Hopkinsville, KY

Finally, I'm continuing the journey I started June 2010.

After putting everything in storage, getting my TEFL certification, spending tons of money on the grandkids, realizing that overseas wasn't the original dream (which was why I wasn't feeling comfortable doing it), making the decision to head for that original (Smoky Mountains), and buying a pick-up, I headed south at 11am, Saturday, May 14, 2011. First stop, Hopkinsville,Ky. How could anyone go wrong in a town with a web address of 'hoptown'.

Thank goodness the first leg of this journey was close so I could make all my mistakes in remembering how to travel.

I bought an atlas but forgot to consult it and compare against the MSN map directions I printed. So rather than straight down Interstate 57 from Chicago to Interstate 24, right into Hopkinsville, they had me on Route 130 going through every small southern Illinois town. It took me further east than 57, but with speeds of 35 and 40mph in several areas. Scenic route would’ve been fine if it wasn’t raining, then down-pouring.

The next connection was supposed to be Interstate 64 East. Somehow I missed the East and ended up on 64 West. When I ran into 57, I kinda figured something was amiss. I THEN consulted the atlas. Needless to say, I had gone about 100 miles out of my way. I was okay though because it was my error and it was all still good. Additionally, I got to drive past the fields of sunshine twice. Fields and fields, acre after acre of Goldenrod. Wow.

Now, I’m looking for South 41 and was very careful to find it and make sure I was truly going south. Might have been okay if there was some kind of error here, because South 41 in Kentucky is actually a back road for several miles. So here I am, not having driven for 8 years, in the dark, in the rain, and I’m being honked at, passed with shakes of head and that old familiar finger-birdie at speeds of 60-70mph within speed limits of 40-45mph. THEN, MSN had me turn left into a trailer park and right onto a non-existent road. According to them, I was .10 of a mile away.

This is where I consulted the phone. I was pretty close—about 2 miles, and 2.5 hrs late. Hopkinsville, Ky. on Peace Road.