Have You Ever Considered...?

Tuesday, I drove into fog.

It was heavy and thick and clung to the landscape like it had been glued there. I love to drive in fog. I love the atmosphere it gives to the world. I love to breathe it in, feeling the water droplets in my lungs. I love to feel it on my face. 

When I went to college in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, fall and spring had intriguingly foggy days. It would roll in off the Mississippi River and, although Viterbo was a small college with a condensed footprint, it could envelope the whole campus and make buildings resemble charcoal drawings. If I could get up earlier in the morning, I might see more fog. As it is, it's usually gone by the time I get up. 

On Friday, the same area was devoid of fog but filled with color. 

Fall is in full bloom. We seem to have received just the right amount of rain to allow color to grow under the green. There is an explosion of bright yellows, oranges and reds this year. I don't remember it being so colorful. It also could be because we've had deliciously warm weather this past week and it's conducive to being outside where you can notice the color. 

I get to the on ramp to Interstate 80 outside of Mishawaka and I have the option of going to Ohio or to Chicago. I actually hesitated. I get to the junction of I-355 and I-80 and I have this option.

I'm in the right lane to go north and home, but I looked longingly at the west bound traffic, at the sign that pointed to Iowa. 

I can't remember a time when I didn't want to have the kind of disposable income and freedom to say, "I want to go that way" and just decide that's the way I'm going. I've always wanted to be able to just hop in the car and follow a road wherever that road may go. It was Friday. I could have just continued the 5 hours on to my mother's. She wasn't expecting me but I tell myself she would have been happy to see me. But I have cats that need tending and a life that can't quite just be chucked to follow Interstate 80 to the next big thing. 

Still, I dream about being able to just drive, to have the money that I could fill out those ends of I-80 that I've never driven or to follow I-55 from its start by Lake Michigan in Chicago to wherever it ends. Maybe some day I can do that. 

Beverage:  Edinburgh's Finest tea

Deb