day 62 - my first test to my new spiritual commitment
so i was having one of those days. i call it quicksand days where one thing happens and then more things seem to happen in combination and everything just seems worse and nothing you do is right and you are sinking in quicksand. but my spirit will not be fettered.
my visit to chicago was short and frustrating. it's the only city i really didn't get to meet too many people. i went to a yelp event and i parked in the wrong lot and as i was reparking, the yelpers left the event. still i made the most of it and had fun. the traffic, the toll roads, and getting lost and the roads making no sense were wearing on me, especially when gas is low and you gotta use the bathroom.
i been trying to train jiu jitsu for a few days here, the first day i found a gym and they closed for that day unexpectedly. the next day they are off. the following day, they have have an open mat but its in the afternoon. that will really push my schedule back cuz i got to make it to nebraska tonight. i go there and i get a bit banged up, my face is kind of scratched up, and i haven't eaten anything all day.
i've lost all my sense of direction due to the whacky chicago roads, and hunger. but i decide to eat after i leave chicago, i just need to get away from these roads.
so i leave. wow this is when the true test starts. its traffic on a saturday afternoon. whats whacked is, you gotta drive towards chicago to leave chicago. what? you heard me. that's how the toll roads work. you head on a toll to chicago, and you pay to get on, pay again to stay, pay again when you get to chicago, pay again when you leave, then you are on a straight away and its inching along, takes me an hour to make 25 miles, then another toll, and its getting more and more expensive and you need exact change, or coins. dang.
now im hungry. leaving chicago, there's like no food stops. every time i turned off the road to grab a bite, i paid a toll to get off, i looked for food and guess what, theres no food. just car dealerships. what? i found one exit with a supermarket, but it had no deli. what??? i wasted 30 mins getting off, paying tolls, trying to figure out how to get to a destination you can see from the exit but none of the roads seem to lead to it, or you think you are on the road to get to it and it leads you back to the highway.
when i was weary and ready to curse this trip, i held to my faith tightly, and there she was. dekalb oasis. not only that, i saw the sign for something i had been looking for months!!! panda express. you have no idea how loud i cheered in my car. i felt like i had won something.
this place has a gas station, food court, gift store, nice bathrooms, free wifi, and yes panda!!! panda never tasted so good!!! i asked for extra rice and noodles and told them i don't care if its extra. and they did charge me extra and they were rude but i didn't care. oh sweet panda, it was so good...
http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/X6VNB0YMvQstWnrKSKyB6A/l
(if you look close you can see some of the scratches starting to welt)
i was for a small bit, in heaven. i'm grateful for even the lil things like this. how else can you survive months in the desert? read more