Asheville, North Carolina

I got into Asheville yesterday. I had an early flight from Chicago to Charleston then a connecting flight to Asheville. On the first flight I met a woman that I will not soon forget, Laura Kelly. Its not that we talked much, its that we talked little and what little we did talk has resounded with me. I started this trip with the idea that I will let things find me rather than search for them. Lately, I must admit that I have had a little trouble with this motivation because seemingly I am wasting time and money. But this is all on the contrary, I am not wasting time or money or anything else because many things are happening to me and I am taking them for granted. She asked me what I graduated with and what I wanted to do with it, I said, like I often say, “I don’t know. “That is why I am traveling, to let what is supposed to happen just…” and she finished my sentence, “find you.” Then she started nodding her head. Meeting her was like someone hugging me and telling me that I am doing the right thing. She told me to keep doing what I am doing and whatever I’m supposed to do next will just pop into my head and find me. Thank you Laura greatly for all that you have said in that short time we talked.

So then Kyle picked me up from the airport and took me to his house. Kyle is a couchsurfer who has hosted over 700 people in 3 years! That is amazing to me and he said he has only had 2 bad experiences, those are some odds. He lives with 3 guys and 1 girl who is out of town. The house is great but inside is even greater. About 4 guitars, 1 banjo, 1 ukulele, a drum set, keyboard, an old antique piano, tons of speakers and amps. That is “my room.” oh and no TV. Paintings all over the walls, a dartboard, a poster of Bob Dylan and great old chairs. His roommates and he just graduated from The University of North Carolina and are working now and hanging out. So yesterday one of his girl friends Jade, me, his cute little dog Fig, and Kyle went to the river for a dip. We parked and walked down a trail for about 20 minutes with trees, bushes, and flowers all around. We got to the spot and swam in the river. Then we went back and hung out with his roommates. Later Kyle, his roommate Nic, and I took a bike ride downtown to grab a beer and get to know each other. Then we rode back home and their friend Paul was waiting on the porch. The rest of the night consisted of music and drinks. It was a wonderful night of listening to great music and dancing and passing and laughing. Today they had work and I finally had a day to myself, by myself, with my own thoughts, and gladly having nobody to talk to. They trusted me enough to leave me alone in their house. I woke up at around 10 30, read a little, then went to the grocery store. I came back and I did something that I have been wanting to do for a long time, I called Fred. Last time he called me was about 3 weeks ago and I was not ready to speak to him because basically he told me to not make plans on seeing him when he came to America and that he didn’t love me anymore. I was angry but I understood because I did walk out on him in Australia half a year ago. After much of “I'm still in love with you and lets be together and we will see how things turn out when I come over in August” I was excited to see him, but he shot that to hell. That was right before I left for this trip. Now I am ready to be his friend. Once upon a time we had an intense love that love didn’t go away it just changed and I love the man he is and care for him immensely. We talked for over an hour about the changes he is making in his own life, the hardships he is going through and the light at the end of the tunnel. We talked about me and this trip and how it has affected my thinking, and we talked about how distance tore us apart. We ended that conversation and I had a smile on my face. I think about our relationships every day and how lucky I was to have experienced that and how much of a great influence he has had over my life, I thought about those times again today. I just have to take those memories and keep them, I can’t keep holding on to what was a year ago. He lives in Australia and I live in America, that is how life has turned out and it is that way for a reason. I am going to contradict myself if I try to fight that; it is what it is for a reason. I found him for a reason, I fell in love with him for a reason, he changed my life and way of thinking for a reason and I greatly thank him for that.

Embrace every day and take your life one day at a time. That’s all anybody can do. Sure I have ideas of what I want and how I want to live but right now I am sitting on a persons couch who I met yesterday and my only plan is to shower and go see The Devil Makes Three tonight. I am going to take this time for what it is, not for what I want it to be.