Fort Worth, Texas - March 15, 2014
When the triple whammy hit I looked to Animal House for guidance. The Baby Boomer Generation, of which I am a lifetime member, has always been guided by two influential wellsprings – rock & roll, and movies. This pair of powerful influences formed our philosophies, told us what to do, how to think, The Beatles and The Graduate defined the boundaries of our world. The Stones said we were entitled to satisfaction and The Godfather taught us about choices - “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.” Throughout ours lives movies, and rock & roll have influenced us more than all the philosophers and all the great literature put together. It would be great to say we were influenced by Plato or Thomas Aquinas but anybody born after World War II and can remember where they were when Kennedy was shot was more influenced by The Book of Love than The Good Book. We thought that Bob Dylan or at least Jack Nicholson could show us the way more than any testament, old or new. Stanley Kubrick saw the future not Billy Graham.
So naturally, I turned to Animal House. No, I didn’t throw a toga party. You remember. After the toga party, when they confiscated everything from the
Delta House – “even the stuff we didn’t steal.” – there was only one thing to do – Road Trip.
The triple whammy - I turned 65, got prostrate cancer and my wife of
44 years filed for divorce – all within four months. So, I decided there was only
one thing to do - Road Trip.
I bought an Airstream and hit the road. This from a guy whose camp outs consisted of sleep overs in the backyard. A guy who has never towed anything let along a 7,500 lb. trailer. To run away, to clear my head, to find the
next great chapter in my life. I didn’t
know. Motivation was not a factor. I was operating on instinct and the immortal
words of Otto – “Road Trip”
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| There is something magical, spiritual and cleansing about the road trip. |
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