Last Day on the Road

The Journey came to a close on the 28th of august

*insert here – some quote about how the journey has really just begun*

I woke up that last morning to a blood-red sunrise on Mcafee Knob, Appalachian Trail. I had spent the night there with two friends from high school that coincidence had brought on a collision course with my life while I was in Asheville NC.

After watching the sunrise and saying goodbye to the country-jam band that I had found around an illegal campfire the night before, we set off for our cars, and I realized that this might just be the homestretch. I made one stop on the way home, to see the Devil’s Marble Field. I had expected giant round marbles, but it turned out to be a good steep hike up to the side of some Appalachian mountain, where there was a large deposit of geometric marble boulders. This journey has constantly instructed me to check my expectations.

Other than that one pitstop, I drove home to Northern Virginia without a hitch! When I arrived, it felt surreal, and safe. My ’99 Chrystler minivan had carried me almost 10 thousand miles in the last month and while we had broken down a few times, nothing really serious had occurred. I felt blessed to be walking again in the land of my childhood.

I entered my home and surprised my parents; I think that they had honestly expected me to get hung up somewhere along the way and just stay! Within minutes they had told me that there was a wedding going on nearby and that I should check it out. So I headed back to my car, through on the nicest clothing I had brought on the journey (Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts) and joined the party!

It turned out that I had built a patio for the mother of the bride, so I was invited to stay for dinner. I think that night was one of the first times that I thought fondly of weddings and marriage; recently, I had been questioning and condemning the institution of marriage, more than I had been praising it – but this was a great and eye-opening event!

It made my heart swell to see all the family and friends brought together by the union of these two people! The speeches from siblings and close friends brought laughter and tears, and I cannot remember another recent time that so swung my emotions; it was just good to feel, and know that everyone around me (who actually knew the bride and groom) was probably feeling even more than I!

Late into the evening I ate gluten-free cake and danced with the best of them: the old and the young, the groom and his new wife!

When I finally had had enough, I walked the 20 steps to my front door thinking how lucky I was to live in such a close knit community of welcoming people. For the first time, I also understood Wedding Crashers, and decided that I would have to do more of this!

Upon entering my house, I recounted the night’s events to my mother who waited up for my sister to come home (she had been assisting at the wedding). Finally, I flopped into my childhood bed, feeling relaxed and content like only home can feel.