Signs
The Lone Star State | 2022 © Alicia Kae Miller
I feel like a cooked goose.
When I suggest this, I am emotionally exhausted by the seemingly endless crises we continue to endure collectively.
Grrr. It hurts like h-e-double-toothpick.
Since there are few things that we can control (beyond our emotions), I recently decided to take a hiatus from the internet and hit the blacktop highway instead. As usual (when I needed to get out of my 'noggin), I did not have a destination in mind; instead, I was of the mindset that I would let the road take me where it will.
As I pulled away from my favorite coffee shop, destined for the great unknown, I shifted through first to fifth gear and flew like the wind heading east on TX State Highway 71.
Windows down and hair askew, I did my best to clear my mind of any distractions other than the open road. But, as I clocked mile upon mile, an occurrence a few weeks ago came to mind and prompted me to inquire:
Do you believe in signs?
For context, since it was the first warm day in a while, I decided to have lunch outside between appointments in downtown Austin.
A gust of wind picked up as I enjoyed my egg salad sandwich and the warm sun on my face. To my pleasant surprise, as fluttering leaves fell to the ground, a large maple leaf beelined in my direction and landed right in front of me.
Suddenly my childhood flying around the world on a maple leaf using the stem as my guide imagination came rushing back.
If you did not know my maple leaf backstory, it would be easy to dismiss this as a random event, but I view it as a clear sign that I am on the right path.
Just like in childhood, instead of allowing fear of the unknown to keep me safe and secure in what I call the comfortable, uncomfortable coat of sameness, I lean in and let myself be fascinated by the lived experience of others.
We are all someone else's other. But, when we allow curiosity to ride shotgun in our relationships, we soon learn instead of assuming who someone truly is.
As you continue to shift gears, keep your eyes out for me to we, mile-marker #1.
Until we meet again, stay true to one-of-a-kind you. ❤️
Yours in Solidarity, -akm
April 2022