Super Random

Our lives improve only when we take chances - and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves.

Walter Anderson

On a random hump day I get a phone call at 7:30am. Hawai'i Time. Sweet Jessica Tandy, it must be someone from the East Coast since even my mom knows better than to call at this hour.

Turns out a friend of a friend of a hooha is looking for someone to drive their car cross-country from Alaska to the middle of nowhere and who better to call than the Queen of Randomness who might actually consider this hare-brained idea.

In my head, the first response was "Yes, absolutely! Sounds like an awesome adventure!" especially if they are willing to pay for the trip expenses. But the wafting wind of reason blew my way and reminded me to say, "Can I think about it?"

{This is uncharacteristic in several ways since saying "No" is one of those things that I have the slowest of learning curves on, and to turn my back on adventure is simply just not done in my world.}

Of course by "Can I think about it?" I meant, let me talk to as many people as I can get a hold of to screw my head on straight as I have willingly and on several occasions jumped out of airplanes (perfectly good ones) and surfed at twilight (read: sharks).

I got, "What kind of car is it?" as the first question from each testosterone driven being followed shortly thereafter with, "Why wouldn't they just ship it?"

I didn't even think to ask these questions when the opportunity presented itself.

But I suppose that's why men and women are different. It didn't even occur to me that the one time I had to change a flat tire was in college, in the rain, wherein I lasted approximately 10 minutes before calling AAA and that if I was driving someone else's car on their dime I wouldn't have time to explore therein negating the entire purpose of the venture.

I don't even have a bloody car in Hawai'i much less have driven for the sheer length of time I'd need to stay awake for that kind of vagabondage, alone anyway. The Alaska part would've been one thing, even British Columbia has it's draws, but then comes middle America - - and I begin to ask - WTF am I going to do with myself in Wyoming? and what happens when the sound of the voice within my head starts answering itself (which I guess would happen somewhere around day two and three quarters)?

But this is all irrelevant.

What got me was that on three separate occasions, by three separate dudes that I trust and respect (I didn't dare ask my chick friends... they would've all said DO IT! just get compensated...) said to me varying degrees of , "at the end of the day, I know you're gonna do whatever you want anyway but I'm worried about you. Number 1 because you'll be alone and 2 because you're you (read: donksai, not gonna look like everyone else for a change, and not exactly a jasmine of all trades) ." It was the "I know you'll do whatever you want" part that got me. The advice wasn't in terms of commands or you cants it was simply, "I'll worry for you" and when I was honest - I knew I'd worry for myself.

So, new plan. I'll figure out a way to do a cross-country road trip on my own terms, in my own time, not when there's a deadline looming over my head and the responsibility of others rushing me to a finish line not of my choosing. I don't want to be the astronaut who forgot to look around space because she was too worried about the mission, ya know? ;)

So, I sum up - taking chances doesn't always mean doing the craziest, randomest thing out there. Sometimes it's working as hard as you can to realize that goal you have that is so tantalizingly close you can taste it and understanding you're on an adventure right this very minute...

In the meantime, T minus 2 days til 50 turns 50. Party about to commence!

Oh, and I made banana french toast for the keep your fork party. It was a bunch of sickies so don't feel bad that you weren't invited. We simply had a party in our quarantine.

bvw.