After a long, busy summer, I finally have been able to catch up on a little leisure TV watching. I finally got to watch Orange Is the New Black and Luke Cage, and today I started watching the 5th season of American Horror Story, Hotel. Yeah, it’s been that long since I’ve been able to just sit and watch anything. 
So, I’m watching AHS, and the character played by Sarah Paulson, Sally, is a junkie. In one scene, she’s sitting at the bar with Detective John Lowe sort of explaining her addiction. She said it was “like how you imagine heaven, pure light” and that she kept trying to climb higher. To get closer to that light. Then she compares that feeling to “an endless ladder where all you do is get further and further away.”
That’s kind of how I’ve been feeling lately. Like I’m on a ladder trying to find something. Not necessarily ecstasy or a light of some sort, or even enlightenment. Just…something. And the more I climb, the higher the top seems. Is that what it’s like for people climbing really high mountains, like Mt. Everest or the Himalayas? After a while, it must get really exhausting and scary, doesn’t it?
The example I usually use is that I feel like a gerbil on a wheel—I just keep running and running and I don’t get anywhere.
But there are people who say that the destination is not the important thing—it’s the journey. And I fully agree with that. There’s no point on going on a road trip if you don’t stop at a few road stands to sample the local tomatoes, or take the scenic route once in a while to take in the splendor of the countryside, or shoreline, or winding mountain roads.
But no one has only one destination in life, right? There are many trips we take in our lifetimes. Not all of them will be of the same caliber. Some will be fun, some won’t. Some will be of our own choosing, some will be out of necessity. Whatever the destinations of those trips, the journey will be the part that holds the most memories.
So, whatever your destination, enjoy the view and stop for a taste of the tomatoes. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll consult Guy Fieri’s list of stops from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives to find just the right spot for that plate of fish and chips or bowl of chili.
Happy driving.
R.G. Emanuelle 