“If a ship has been sunk, I can’t bring it up.  If it is going to be sunk, I can’t stop it.  I can use my time much better working on tomorrow’s problem than by fretting about yesterday’s.  Besides, if I let those things get me, I wouldn’t last long.” – Admiral Ernest J. King

Almost 29…

It was around 10pm.  A couple hours before the clock strikes on my 29th year on the planet.  My friend Chris and I were looking to catch a city bus to go see a local music show.

Wait!!!

A bus approaches… but wait!  he doesn’t seem to be slowing.  The bus zooms by us!  Chris thinks that we can run to the next stop a block or so up ahead and still catch this bus.  We are off!

I had taken my bus card out of my wallet and I sprint along the sidewalk.  Arms pumping with my card in my hand!  Ahead, the bus is stopped… and then it zooms off.  The bus drivers here are on a tight schedule.  

Hold on a minute…

As we console ourselves, something doesn’t feel right.  I feel a bit lighter.  Sure enough, my wallet is gone!  I check myself at least 5 times over.  Every pocket and crevice is searched, each time I recheck an area, I really think I am going to find it this time.

A thorough search of the sidewalk over the last two blocks of my sprint yield nothing.  Even a search of the trash cans nearby proves fruitless (thinking someone might have quickly grabbed my cash and ditched the less useful items like my homeade business cards or little notes to myself).  

The Sea Monsters attack!

I don’t let this get me down though.  The evening is not spoiled though as I have a passport and Chris offers to spot my way.  I finish celebrating and fall asleep unfazed.

The Casey Rendezvous.

The next morning I awake and decide to ride with Casey, whom I mentioned yesterday, on her way out of Massachusetts towards Minnesota.  She offers to drive way out of her way to come pick me up.  All I have to do is head to downtown Boston and grab a short Greyhound ride to Worcester.  

The only thing standing in my way is the fact that I am totally out of money.  BUT, there is a Bank of America right on my way to the subway.  

Walking with vigor in my stride and all my personal belongings on my back, I find the bank and a new predicament.

Columbus Day.

My birthday has always fallen on or around Columbus Day, which can be grand if you are in school and get a day off on your birthday.  But is NOT good, when you need to get some dough out of your bank, to buy a cheap ticket out of a town, to catch a great ride heading a long ways, in exactly the direction you are going with an interesting individual, whom you would love to talk too.

BUMMER!  

The banks are closed on Columbus Day!  

Acceptance.

After my initial shock, I quickly think for answers, not willing to give up so soon.  The only thing I can come up with is too beg for money.  I am not ready to do this.  I give up and call Casey with the bad news.  

The rest of the day is okay.  Peaceful and sunny.  I don’t have any money so I rest and try to use the time to think.  

What good will come from this?

Regretful pangs definitely hit my stomach.  What if the bus would have stopped?  What if I would have been more careful?  What if I wasn’t born on Columbus Day?  What if…?

I tried to practice patience and acceptance.  Waiting to see how this would end up being a good thing.  What would come because I didn’t leave Boston today?  It wasn’t easy and definitely can’t say that I am an expert, but it helped.  

Tommorrow…

I still am interested as to how this will effect my life.  Keep posted to see some new folks I meet because of my non-ride out of Boston.  I leave early the next day with a different plan to take the subway as far out as I can and then start hitchhiking along the Turnpike.  The Turnpike does not get reviews from other hitchhikers I have talked too.  But we will see.

Create Our World.

Ben

“Being happy doesn’t mean everything is perfect.  It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” – Unknown

Tags: acceptance, adventure travel blog, Benjamin Jenks, create our world, hitchhiking, roadtrip around the USA
Categories: About Me.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under About Me.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.