The beginning of an adventure

My wife (Carol) and I in 1986 quit our great jobs (I was a member of the Governor's cabinet and my wife a member of the Secretary of State's Front office) load what we could into a car, sold or gave away everything else, spun a bottle and took off in the direction the bottle pointed. Crazy, people said, our mothers told us first. For two black people to leave their good paying jobs, friends and family, support network and go off to America. It was dangerous. We believed that we had the skills and talent to make a living anywhere. It turned into a three year adventure story.

The bottle pointed east. So, began the journey. When travel across the country by car you begin to notice how the same things looks different as you travel. We left Springfield, Illinois on a bright sunny August day. Spending many years in central Illinois, farmer's country, you are use to seeing miles of corn and bean fields. Farmer's talk spice your conversations, like corn knee high by July good crop on the way. The further east we traveled the large fields of tall standing corn became small patches of midget corn stalks. Flat farm land took on more contour with rolling hills covered with trees.

Travel long distances with someone teaches you a lot about yourself and the other person. The places you go, the things you see, the people you meet add elements of wonder and adventure. But being inside a car for thousand of miles with one person becomes also a journey of self discovery. During that trip we learned what love was really about. Being confined to a car for long periods of time with someone clearly lays out your emotions. And if you don't get along, someone can be sitting on the side of the road. Love can express itself many ways, but its when you share pain, strange places and people, struggles and fears do you realize how much the comfort of love is. During that trip we learned we loved each other. I will be writing more about that trip, lessons learned, and the freedom we found.