JANUARY 17, 2022

‍‍It could be anywhere or any time as I come out of the house, feeling a little disoriented after a few days of not leaving except to take the dog out on the lawn,  I’m taking packages on a mission of small, even tiny, commerce, carrying six packages of items that my wife has sold on eBay and I read the addresses and they go all over the country and I remember what a deep love I’ve always had for geography and studying maps. I don’t know where that came from, but I remember back in the day when I was hitchhiking all over the place and I had my trusty U.S. atlas and I would check out all the different routes and would try to gauge how long it was going to take me to go from here to there, and would I go right or left, would I go to Alaska or San Francisco, would I get caught in a tornado or thunderstorm or frozen stiff like I almost did one time crossing Pennsylvania to be home for Christmas. It could be anywhere or anytime as I come out of the house with these packages heading for the East Hill in Kent Post Office which is closed today for Martin Luther King Day and as I’m sitting here looking at the facade it looks a lot worse for the wear of years it definitely needs some sprucing up, but when will that come? Not holding my breath.  I’m used to this parking lot being bustling and full and the lobby with a long line which I never have to deal with because we have pre-paid labels already on the packages which is nice, no standing in line, especially nice not to stand in line in a pandemic…just a quick dropping if them down the chute.
I just finished listening to the final words of the late great Sam Shepard in his final work before leaving this mortal coil as they say he was with his family at least on his Kentucky ranch.  Sad to see him go especially so for his family and friends, but also for his many fans such as I.
As I look at these addresses I wonder what kind of people in what kind of places precisely are going to open these packages?  Will they be in a high-rise or in a trailer somewhere, in an apartment, a lovely home on a cul-de-sac or a dilapidated shack. Sometimes I go on Google Earth to check the places out, something that seems pretty incredible when you think about it.