On The Road

Two lanes of asphalt stretched out before me. The sound of the rubber against the road. The gentle vibration of the car beneath me.

Peace. Tranquility. I am not sure you can describe it any better than that.

For years, writers and musicians have expressed their sentiments about the open road and our cultural fascination with the automobile and all that it represents. There is something tantalizing and adventurous about being out on the road. Maybe it is the freedom that it evokes within us. Maybe all roads lead to somewhere – and nowhere – at the same time. Maybe it reminds us that it is all about the journey, and not the destination.

For me, it is about the insight that springs forth when faced with a blue highway and nothing but time on my hands.

I have probably done my fair share of thinking and reflecting while on the road. It is just me and the car and the asphalt ahead of me – nothing more, nothing less.

I can say that I have found many parts of myself on the side of the road, waiting to be discovered. The road has a way of telling all truths. You may not be looking for answers – or maybe you are – but the road contains them. 

“On the road / confirms something about yourself
Confirms something about your mold--some say it's freedom
Freedom some say / is when you get back home.” (Max Webster, “On The Road”)

If the weight of the world is ever squarely on my shoulders, some driving time will always help to lighten the day. If there are troubling times, they will be less troubling afterwards. Heading on down the road is soothing, placid, insightful, and will almost always put the world in its place even but for a few fleeting moments.Some of my great ideas have come to me while behind the wheel. I have always joked that I need to have a room that replicates the feel and sound of being in my car.

“On the road confirms something about myself
Confirms something about my storm--
Some say it needs freedom,
Freedom some say / is after the storm.” (Max Webster, “On The Road”)

You have to be present in the moment while driving – or you will fall unceremoniously off the roadway. You can glance in your rear view mirror, but all that you see fades behind you. You can look ahead of you, and plan for what lies ahead, but you can only control what occurs right here, right now.

And therein lies the beauty and serenity of time on the road.

Photo credits: Dominic’s pics