Day 8 - Finding Liberty

I arrived in Liberty tonight at nightfall as a full moon rose in the Tennessee sky. The 40 East wound into a smaller highway which turned into an even narrower two-lane highway. I entered into farmland and rolling hills and nearly passed the road to the area my friend lives in. My friend, Ragmar, and I spoke on the phone as I drove slowly around curves, a mist curled around the lights from my car, a few dogs moved out of my way as my car rolled past them. Ragmar came to meet me in his car and led me down the graveled one-lane road to his farm.

It was dark by the time we arrived--a short distance from the highway. Suddenly I was among tall trees and emerged from my car into the deep silence of night. I instinctively pushed the button on my keychain to set the alarm on my car and Ragmar laughed. "You won't have to do that for days... maybe months."

We visited for awhile and he showed me around the house. We walked out onto an enclosed sleeping porch adjacent to my room and he picked up a conch shell. "I'm going to sound your arrival..." and he blew on the horn several times as it let out a sounding that echoed through the hills.

He left me to settle in and went back to the Gathering being held a few miles away. I, again, instinctively went for my phone and called my stepdad and my beaufriend. Neither of them answered or texted me back for awhile. As I waited for them to call me back I thought, "Oh my god. I'm lost in the hills. I won't be able to get through to anyone!" Panic set in for a moment and I tried writing a blog entry to occupy my time, but nothing would come out. Another friend called and I texted with another and then felt more at ease, knowing I was still within human contact. Finally, Indigo Boy called me back and we talked for an hour or so as I sat on the porch outside and smoked cigarettes. I think I might be quitting soon, though, because I've entered into a staunch non-smoking, vegetarian household and I do want to honor their lifestyle. I don't think smoking is going to be conducive to this world that I've landed in. As we sat on either ends of the country, I could hear the muffled sound of music in his apartment, the distant beat of drums from the hills beyond, wind rustling through the trees and nothing else.

I am about to shift gears. Down down down. Is there another gear lower than first? I'm still wound up from the last two days spent in Memphis (of which I MUST write about... will do in the next day or so) and a week spent in my car driving east east east. And now I'm here. I haven't found "liberty" yet... that is to be found still. But I made it safe and sound to my destination and feel very good about it. I feel like I'm on the right path. I feel like I may, after all, find liberty because I am here.