I am at the stage of life that Erik Erikson describes as one of “reflection”.
I am aware that there are people who have been important in my life that I will never get to see again and some who I didn’t realize that I would never see again in time to say goodby and to thank them for their kindness. I am also aware that there are experiences that I enjoyed that I will never do again and didn’t fully appreciate at the time that it was going to be my last time having the experience. Consequently, I am trying to say goodby and thank you to people who have been important to me and to appreciate and enjoy the pleasures of my life as if it might be my last time.
I get to enjoy beautiful sunsets as if they may be my last, I enjoy playing on the beach with my dog Jerry as if I might never do it again and I am enjoying my current legal work as if it might be the last big case of my career. I am about to embark on what I expect might be my last big road trip.
I was a child of the sixties and much more influenced by Jack Kerouack’s “On the Road” then I was by John Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charlie” but I am getting ahead of myself. But truth be told I was actually most influenced by a lesser-known book – Raymond Mungo’s “Famous Long Ago” then by either Kerouack or Steinbeck.
I first drove cross country (from Buffalo, New York to Bainbridge Island, Washington) with my then girl friend from college when I was, I think 20 years old. (She is still alive, and we are in touch.) We travelled to Washington State, and then hitchhiked down the coast to Berkeley, California where we eventually bought a beat-up car (a 1962 Buick Special with a slant six engine if I recall correctly) and drove it down to Tucson Arizona where we lived for a while before going back to Buffalo. I then drove cross country again with my best friend Marty (he tragically died very young a victim of a violent crime in 1981 and I never got to say goodby) We drove in his Yellow Volkswagen with his dog Cody and my dog Dobie down to Key West, Florida and then across to Berkeley, California.
I had a period of my life before law school (and during law school too truth be told) when Dobie and I hitchhiked around the country. There’s more to the story of course but that is just a little bit of background.
I now have a wonderful dog named Jerry (he deserves his very own post) and we are about to embark on what I expect will be my very last big road trip.
We will be heading down the pacific coast to Southern California and then across the desert and along the Gulf of Mexico to Key West where I will be attending the Key West Literary Seminar and then we’ll drive up the atlantic coast to Boston, Massachusetts where I will be attending the Bat Mitzvah of the granddaughter of one of my other very dear friends from college in Buffalo, New York. (My friend Jonathan also died much too young but I had the opportunity to be with him and say good bye when he was sick). From Boston I intend to drive back down the coast and return home via the same long route. All in all, I expect to drive 10,000 miles and spend at least two months on the road with Jerry. Truth be told I am a little bit nervous even though I am also excited about the upcoming adventure.
If all of that was not interesting enough, I am also planning to try to stop and visit with friends and relatives that I haven’t seen for years (along with a few great nephews that I have not yet met) and with some lawyers and expert witnesses that I worked with years ago and perhaps even with some former clients (and maybe even some now grown-up children of my clients).
In anticipation of this trip I have done a little research into John Steinbeck’s great book “Travels with Charlie.” I will be travelling just about as many miles with Jerry ad Steinbeck did with Charlie. I was surprised to learn that I am ten years older at 68 then Steinbeck was when he travelled with Charlie. (I read his book when I was young and remembered thinking that Steinbeck was old.) The story I remember was that Steinbeck said he had made his living writing about the people in the country and wanted to chronicle the ways in which they and the country had changed over the years. I have learned that the author’s oldest son Thom Steinbeck, subsequently said “the reason for the trip was that Steinbeck knew he was dying and wanted to see his country one last time.” The younger Steinbeck said he was surprised that his stepmother allowed his father to make the trip; his heart condition meant he could have died at any time.
Off we go !!!