It’s 630 miles from where I currently live in Mechanicsville, VA to where my parents live in Franklin, TN. When people find that out, and the fact that I drive it, they seem shocked. Why don’t I fly, they ask? They don’t understand why I would want to spend 10 hours in my jeep. Well, aside from the fact that I then have to figure out how to get around once I am back in TN, I like to drive. Driving, to me, is extremely peaceful. I get in the jeep, plug my iPhone into the stereo, and just go. I get to spend some time with God driving through the beautiful Smokies, seeing some of His incredible creation around every bend, and listening to my favorite music.
I am comfortable on the road. It’s my home. I’ve always had a bit of wanderlust. I suppose that’s one of the reasons I liked working in music so much. I loved showing up at bus call and heading off to new places. There’s so much to see across this country and I consider it a blessing for how much I have seen. But I want to see more. I read a quote once that is absolutely true. The best places on earth show up as blank spots on maps. As much as I love cities, like Chicago, KC, and, of course, Nashville, I’m a country boy at heart. I grew up in rural Iowa. I’m proud of where I grew up. It made me who I am today.
I love adventure. I don’t care for playing it safe. Some of you may find that surprising but it’s true. I have always loved hiking and camping. 3 months in Haiti was incredible. I would love to go to Africa and Europe. More than that, though, I would love to see the rest of the country. For a long time, I thought I would like to build myself a house. I wanted to build instead of buy just because I could. But I think I’d much rather rehab an old camper and just hit the road. I think I have the skills to do that. I’m pretty handy on a car. And I have enough skills to pick up work wherever I find. Of course I definitely want to get back to Haiti on a semi-regular basis. I think this is a feasible plan, too. I know, it’s not the “normal” thing to do. But who wants to be normal? I’ve done normal. Heck, I am doing normal now. I work for a fortune 100 company. Good job. Decent salary. And if I played the game I can have a good career for the next 35 years, retire with a nice pension and then play (mini) golf until I die. And that sounds absolutely miserable. I want to see the sunset on the plains of Texas. I want to see the blue ocean in California. I want to see the world from the top of the Rockies.
Of course, the downside to that is how many girls out there want to do that? That doesn’t exactly scream stability to them. Plus, inviting them to my house and seeing an old Airstream (the dream would be to own one of those…), just screams “serial killer,” I’m sure. But I’m ok with that, too. I have felt for a while that maybe I’m done. I am extremely thankful for the 2.5 years I was married. It was, mostly, great, and I have a lot of fond memories. If I am meant to be single from here on out, that’s fine. Of course, if there are women out there who think about life differently and want to see the world, I’d love to hear from them…
Ok, I’m going to leave you with the chorus to my current favorite road trip song. Every time I go anywhere, I listen to this song 2-3 times. It’s “The Road and the Radio,” by Kenny Chesney:
Clarity and inspiration
Happiness is a destination, that’s hard to find
It may take some time
In my mind there’s something more
And I’ll open up a brand new door
And find the strength to close the ones I’ve left behind
I’ll get there leaning on some friends I know
The road and the radio
So true. Kenny’s a smart dude.
BenHoleton.com 
Love you. 🙂