Spirit of St. Louis
All of this preparation and here we were, actually doing it — in real life! Just a Tanny full of our people and the wide-open road ahead of us. As we made our way from Colorado to Missouri, we found the beauty of the peaceful countryside and the frustration of its speed traps. But when all was said and done, we made it safe and sound to our first stop: St. Louis! Meagan and I have had some special experiences in this place, and we were crazy-excited to share it all with the boys. As we rattled into town, we made it just in time to dive face-first into some fresh Ted Drewes. I don’t know what it is about sitting out in the evening humidity, eating your bodyweight in frozen custard with hordes of other people, but it’s a sacred space that can only be found in that magical parking lot. Itinerary check number one, done.
With custard-covered faces and some heavy eyelids, we pulled ourselves back onto the road for the short trip to where we were staying. Now, this Airbnb was no normal crash pad; it was decked out from top to bottom with everything one could’ve asked for. All the way down to the cute poodle that visited out back and a Pride flag on the front porch. This was the best way to kick off our trip and will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Jodie was the coolest hippie-chick hostess with a soul for service and genuine connection.
Jodie really set the stage for the people of St. Louis. Who were these gentle and kind people connecting with us as we explored the city? It was remarkable. Starting with the downtown crossing guard helping us on our way and wishing us a great day, it was extraordinary to witness the real spirit of St. Louis. Learning of the racially charged, painful past, and seeing the way that individuals are constantly working towards bridging across cultures, even within a shared culture, was moving and motivating, and shed a lot of light on the Black experience in America. And, of course, impromptu moments stand out, like playing catch with Emery at a playground in the Italian Hill neighborhood, or racing down a dark hill in Forest Park during Shakespeare in the Park. From getting drenched in sweat climbing all over City Museum, to feeding goats and visiting Clydesdales at Grant’s Farm, to running and picking berries at Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, so many checks, and then on to the next!
Walkin’ Back to Georgia
From St. Louis to Atlanta, we were still making it — exhausted but in one piece nonetheless. We made our way through some torrential downpours and learned a thing or two about sandwich making on the road; but we finally made it to Georgia! Now, this was a big one for me. Not just because I’m a diehard Braves fan, but also because I was seeing my dad for the first time in over 20 years. This was a big one because no one else in our travel brigade had ever met him at all. This person, who I knew little about, and his wife, were on their way to meet us at a baseball game and it had me feeling like a kid myself — excited, nervous, unsure, awkward, but most importantly, ready. My dad and his wife met us at the Braves’ stadium and we had the best day together! We heard funny stories, surprising stories, and even some heartbreaking stories. We talked baseball, food, life, and got to know them as people. It felt unreal. At 40 years old I was finally able to feel a tangible bridge that had been a void for so many years. Was it this easy? To let go of it all and just be present? I never would have imagined the shift I (and we) experienced as a result of this connection. To add to it all, we met up at a nearby park after the game for three generations to play catch in the rain. It was silly and cleansing — it was a day that none of us will ever forget.
While in Atlanta, we were also able to visit the grave of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., giving us a tangible springboard for further discussing civil rights with the kids. The memorial had an overwhelming sense of struggle and hope all at the same time. We felt so small and full of fire. Walking where Dr. King walked and seeing the impact of the structural racism in his community — the level of poverty and hurt just around the corner from his childhood home — I could feel it deep within my spirit. We all could. This feeling pushed from within, reminding us of our mission for Molise IS and the importance of intercultural citizenship. Reminding us of the urgency for a program that educates all people in a way to create change. Reminding us that the time for change is now.
After our time in Atlanta, we had the magical experience of Mark’s Melon Patch in Albany. As the sky opened up and drenched the land, we took shelter under the little market on the side of the road and marveled at the heaping baskets of fruits and vegetables and sweet treats. We soaked up the slower way of life and enjoyed some fresh corn, straight from the field, bought our body weight in berries, and watched the kittens tumbling around the dirt floor. It was gentle and renewing.
Florida Vibes
The delicious breakfast biscuits at Pearly’s, along with the genuine and palpable southern charm of the people we met there, helped us on our way to a lovely morning before venturing to our next stop on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where we picked up a sunburn at the beach and enjoyed kayaking among mangroves. Cruising into Orlando and wrapping up this leg of our journey, we had an obligatory day at Universal Studios–drinking butterbeer as we felt our faces melting in the heat, living Meagan’s childhood fantasy in Harry Potter World, and making the best of the never-ending lines.
But the highlight of Florida was getting to spend a night with our bff (best friendship family) Eddie and Mandy, and their kids Shelby and Harrison, in Melbourne. Eddie greeted us, fresh off the road, with a bucket full of shrimp and an armful of fishing poles for the boys to try their hand at catfishing. Lounging on their dock, we saw a tattered manatee up-close and some playful dolphins far-off. The 5 boys lived their best lives while Shelby, Mandy, and Meagan topped each other’s ghost stories in their antique-store of a living room. Eddie and I ran down memory lane and laughed until our faces hurt.
Here and Now
Vietnamese Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh reminds students, when they hear the “bell of mindfulness” — whatever form that may take, whether a buzz on the phone or a barking dog or any other unplanned sound—to “simply stop whatever they are doing to intentionally take deep breaths and pay absolute attention to what is going on around them and inside them.”1 It was like the Universe knew we needed to hear the ringing bell. It stormed like crazy and gave us a chance to slow down, even for just a day. We sat inside Eddie and Mandy’s covered back porch, lounging, listening, connecting, and just being.
The level of bummed we felt as we were leaving was real; it was unanimous–we would have happily traded our day at Universal for a few more with our friends. This tiny sliver of our trip with our people felt like a perfect recharge point, readying us for the second half of our U.S. adventure. Giving us all space to reflect and process the cultures we had become entangled with, no matter how brief. This time reminded us of the importance of connection; to people, to places, to causes–and how our mission as a family and a program are deeply intertwined with the here and now.
Barbara Schaetti, Sheila Ramsey, and Gordon Watanabe, Personal Leadership (2008), 21-22.
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