Sep 3, 2020
WALKING ROUTE 66
She Was Happy To Make Big Magic
Children are creative by nature.
She was so proud of her creation. Her mother asked her what it was, and she said, “It’s a Parrotkeet.”
After getting kicked out of the travel center at two in the morning, I headed west in the dark. I came across what seemed like a small warehouse, around 4 AM, and decided to get some sleep.
I was back on the road before the crack of dawn, and in a couple of hours, came across a ghost town.
I was planning on getting to Halltown, where, according to GoogleMaps, there was a 24-hour c-store/restaurant. I arrived there at about 10 o’clock.
The old man was setting up things on the patio. He was 79 years old. I helped him carry some of the heavy things. He used to be a college professor and now keeps himself busy at the store. His daughter wants him to hang it up, but he is not ready. He also told me that if I needed a place to camp out, I can do so in the back of the church down the street.
While I was there, two bicyclists stopped by. There is a website called warmshowers.org, where people cycling across the world can find a place to shower and spend a night. Dale lives in Springfield and had accompanied a German cyclist to Halltown. Dale plays host to people who ride a bicycle on Route 66. He gifted me with a flashing red light that he said I can use to let people see me in the dark.
Later, I went across the highway to look for the c-store/restaurant. I got something to eat and talked to the lady working there. Her sister came by to drop off the little girl whose picture you see at the top. I made her a poodle; she was fascinated and wanted to learn how to do that. I let her play with my balloons and she got creative in her own way.
The c-store didn’t seem like a place where I could spend the night, so I went back across the street and spend the night behind the church.
As I think back and ponder.
There is so much diversity in the world, it’s mind-boggling. Halltown is merely 14 miles west of Springfield, but it seems like you are in a different world altogether. There is no hustle-bustle of the city, and people are laid back, and friendly.
Then there are people like Dale, who lives in Springfield and hosts people from all over the world at his house for a night, and provides them a meal, and a chance to rest, and take a shower. I came across several people who were actually looking for me as they bicycled down Route 66 because Dale had told them about me.
The choice is always ours. We can live under constant stress, or we can lay back and enjoy life, whether we live in a city or a small town. We can be friendly to others as they come into our lives, or not, it’s all up to us. What I learned was that for the most part people are nice and friendly.
Stay blessed and be happy, my friends.
Seems like I may have accidentally deleted the original post. I found a link on FB but it took me to a 404 page.
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Rasheed Hooda is a published author who has contributed to many of Medium’s top Publications; The Startup, The Ascent, P.S. I Love You, Rogues’ Gallery, and ILLUMINATION, to name a few. He is also a Top Writer for several topics. If you like his work, buy him a coffee, he drinks a lot of it.
