Walking and thinking about money
On day 86 of crossing America barefoot I travelled from Miccosukke FL to Tallahassee (the vineyards) FL...
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I woke up next to a white fence. A man in a truck said, “You can’t be near this fence.” I began walking barefoot across america again.
I wouldn’t mind if walking across america barefoot became my full time job.
There was a swamp next to the road. The swamp expanded into a prairie lake. I saw a lot of birds. There were no prairie dogs.
Maybe all the prairie dogs are floating under water digging tunnels.
The side of the road stopped having a place for me to walk so I walked in the road. As I was walking I listened to an audiobook on money and thought about the CEO of an energy company that got a 180 million dollar retirement package for destroying the earth. Money is weird. Wall Street is always paying itself millions and millions for being dumb and reckless.
A world built entirely on money is so much easier to burn than one built on ideas of love and compassion.
I find myself moving through the world needing less than I did at the beginning of the trip. I’m think less money is a valuable secret. I will continue to try and get by with less and less. Some day maybe money will be removed from the equation.
A man in a hole living off the dirt.
I stopped at a county store. There were men on the roof and a lot of cop cars in the parking lot. Inside I got a cashew and an almond. The cashier gave me four oranges for free.
The inside of the store smelled like all the dead animals people buy for cheap because the government subsidizes the meat industry.
The road widened. A truck stopped and a man held out some boots. The man holding the boots said, “It’s going to get real cold tonight.”
Please wear these boots as a hat at least.
Late in the afternoon I stopped to meditate. I meditated on some pine needles. When I was done meditating I saw a dolphin holding a mailbox.
The dolphin looked so sad like it had been captured and forced to poise with the mailbox for the rest of its life so it’s children wouldn’t get put in tuna cans but even more tragic is that the dolphin never knows if it’s children got put in tuna cans anyway because it is busy holding the mailbox until forever.
A mile later I saw a dead bobcat in the road. It was so beautiful to look at. I kept expecting it to wake up, but one of its legs had been torn off. Other than this it looked calm and peaceful.
I wish there was a law that said, “You are never allowed to drive again if you cause death with an automobile.”
I stopped in a gas station to get something to eat. The owner looked at me and told me to leave my bag at the door.
I thought, “Maybe you should leave your gasoline in the ground.” Ohhh. Burn.
It got dark. The road was an endless stream of cars. Technically I was in Tallahassee. It seemed to make sense the roads were full of automobiles. It was a Friday night in america.
I want to meet a person who drives so slow they don’t even kill insects the mosquitoes and bugs they come in contact with.
A few small raindrops fell. I stopped at a grocery store to get some green vegetables. As I was leaving the bagger asked if I had any weekend plans. I shrugged and said, “Just walking.”
My weekends are full until this whole walking across america thing dies down a little.
I found some power outlets behind a church. I plugged in all the things that needed a power outlet. Then I climbed in my little cave where I sleep and thought about my breath. I heard rain begin to fall.
What I ate on day 86: Oranges, grapefruit, collard greens, cashews, dates, brazil nuts, guacamole, mushrooms, watermelon, almonds, grapes, and blackberries.
A poem
A person / sitting / on a piece / of / concrete / pays some bills / a truck stops / on / another / piece / of / concrete / someone yells / you can’t / sleep / here / the person / smiles / and / says / it’s okay / I’m paying / bills / someone yells / again / the person / ignores / the yelling / and / continues / paying bills / there are a lot / of / bills / the person / pays / so many / bills / the yelling / stops / all violence / is / forgotten / peace and calm / flood / the entire world / in a blanket / of / hope / and / carry it / to a field / where / it can / watch / itself / do sleep / on a piece / of / concrete / behind / something / made / from bricks
If you're interested in my previous journey across America check out the book: I am a road.
