10 people. 8 cities. More miles than I can count. At least 15 Wifi hot spots, including the one in the Dunkin Donuts where I now sit. This has been my past five days.
I have seen an amazing band play. I have had cheese omelettes with some of my favorite people on the planet. I have sat on the stone stoop of a 200 year old house with a dear friend, shisha and really good beer. I have slept on couches and in guest beds. I have ridden a motorcycle and petted a chicken. I have been blessed.
All along this road, I have talked writing. My friends have asked me how it’s going, and I have been thrilled to say, “Well. It’s going really well.” I have heard them talk about their work – their desires for change, the projects they have in mind, the blogs they want to start. I have offered encouragement always and advice when asked. This too is blessing.
It’s easy to pine for earlier days when life was simpler and less busy. It’s easy to imagine life without distraction and long for that. But today, when I put words to the page while I sit at an orange formica table, when I know that tomorrow my friends (though far away again) will still be there on the other end of this invisible tether called the Internet, when I can travel countless miles to hear, “Keep at it, Andi. We want to read that book” and say, “Keep at it, Jill, Jansen, Shawn, Maile, Jen, Susan, Kathy, Sarah, Molly, Sam. I want to read that piece, check out that blog, love that baby, see you happy,” that’s not a bad time to be living. Well, it’s going really well.