Greeting friends and family. Once again I will try and get out of a hole and confront fear and stagnation. Despite near best efforts to progress and move forward, it seems almost inevitable that I get to a point, look forward and see where I was, in front of me, rather than behind. So, it is again that I must challenge myself again.

As some of you know, and new news to the rest, I will leave Austin here this coming week, and fly to Ecuador. Scheduled stay will be just over two months. There is anxiousness and anxiety, curiosity and reluctance, certainty and confusion. I am not fully prepared mentally or emotionally, but, “I can’t wait”.

“Someday we’ll roll away the stone
That we have carried for so long
And all our burdens will be gone
I can’t wait.

We will find our way to
An understanding of all views
And no prayer shall be refused
I can’t wait.

It seems that we have gone too far
And now we don’t know where we are
I believe we’ll find a guiding star
I can’t wait.

If faith is the final place
Where all fears have been erased
And the locks have
Fallen from the gates
I can’t wait.

Someday we’ll roll away the stone
That we have carried for so long
And all our burdens will be gone
I can’t wait.”
(Kieran Kane/Sean Locke/Claudia Scott)

What are my realistic expectations of this encounter and exploration? Primero, hopefully some capability to speak, hear and read the Spanish language. This immersion may be my best chance. Then, to discover a different culture. We are blessed with many freedoms, some of which have “gone too far”, but maybe (quiza’), there are some things to admire, even envy, elsewhere. New sights, sounds, smells, and tastes await. Can I survive, do one more thing, still learn, still grow, still move?

My destination is Cuenca, a mountain town in the Sierra of the Andes, even higher than Pagosa. It is the third largest of Ecuador, a UNESCO World Heritage Trust site. Some speculate it is the El Dorado (golden city) of Spanish myth. Drug lords, rebel guerillas, kidnappers and thieves. Teachers, priests, merchants and children. Incan history, Spanish conquest, independencia, and modern world. Snow topped peaks, active volcanoes, Amazon jungle, class five rivers. Cobblestone streets, stone cathedrals, colonial plazas, historic ruins. And, somewhere lost in it all will be me.

I will be a foster child with a family of five. Father and mother, near my age, and two adult sons living at home. A third adult son lives outside the home. A prayer to myself, that I am a good visitor, take full advantage of the consideration and care given by ones willing to share a home. And, if “fear is erased”, then friendship will be given and accepted in both directions.

As the time ahead gets shorter, the numbers of chances diminish. Not so much spiritually, for which there is always possibility, but physically, and for those on state retirement, also financially. There will be a time when there will be no more roads travelled, no more miles, the equipment worn, and retirement has a different definition than cessation of working for a living. The time will indeed come.

“I watched them push it
In the backyard
A year ago July
No one’s trimmed the grass since
Now it’s covered up the tires.
They took out the battery
Drained the gas and left the oil.
Them wheels don’t roll anymore
Them wheels don’t roll anymore.

After thee hundred thousand miles
The upholstery’s lookin sad
Who knows how many tires
But the last ones look pretty bad.
It’s a shame the way the rust
Is eatin up the old floor boards.
Them wheels don’t roll anymore
Them wheels don’t roll anymore.

It’s probably got a million stories
But I don’t care what they are
Don’t wanna know the history
Just love the lines of that old car.
The chrome, the glass, the steel
And the locks on all four doors
Them wheels don’t roll anymore
Them wheels don’t roll anymore.”

(Kieran Kane/Sean Locke)

So, one more road, a few more miles, and maybe a blown tire along the way, to add to this chassis. ‘Cause these wheels ain’t stuck just yet, and the clutch still works, even if the brakes do squeak and the windshield is cracked. Hitchhikers welcome, passenger seat’s empty, and there’s room in the back as well. The map has holes, but the sun will light the way. I promise to avoid high speed, and coast when I can. And, I’m gonna roll down the windows, and honk the horn too. So, my challenge to you is get in and lets go.

Someday we’ll roll away the stone
That we have carried for so long
And all our burdens will be gone
I can’t wait.