Fitting in?

My husband Jerry and I started joking about driving cross country with the kids (6 and 8) about three months ago. We aren’t tied to a desk right now and have lots friends on the west coast. We had already lived in a 425 square-foot studio in New York together. Couldn’t we survive in a car for 30 days? Ha ha.

Truthfully, the political rancor and name-calling had gotten to us and we started to think we were the crazy ones. Was everyone this polarized or were there people like us out there? People who don’t primarily identify as Red or Blue and who’d rather find common ground than dig a fox hole. Most importantly, why have so many people lost hope?

We were tempted to put on blinders and keep to our close group of friends, but these questions nagged at us. And we didn’t think we could answer them sitting in our living room. So, what started as a joke became a mission of sorts. A pilgrimage to find out where — if anywhere — we fit in. Getting out, to fit in.

It’s a challenge and not of The Amazing Race kind. But for the next 30 days, we’re driving across America in our old SUV to figure it out.

[To learn more about our thirty day adventure across America, check out our other publications 30 CUPS ACROSS and BEST (HEALTHY) ROAD FOOD.]