One hundred thousand miles.

 

It seems like such a large number, and it definitely is. That’s how many miles I’ve driven in my Toyota Camry.

 

Lets break that down really quick…

 

It’s taken me almost 6 years to reach that number, and it got here way before I ever intended it to.  At an average travel speed of 60mph (which isn’t really how fast I went the entire time… sometimes slower, and sometimes a lot faster… “allegedly”) that figures out to being 1,666.66 hours spent in my car.  Which means that I have literally spent 2 out of the last 72 months in transit……… wow, kind of crazy when you really put it in terms like that.

 

 

I find it only appropriate that my 100,000-mile mark is being crossed while on a road-trip.  I was on my way to Colorado, and I had realized about midway through Kansas that I was going to hit it… I instantly panicked for a second…. “HOLY SMOKES! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH YOUR LIFE THAT WARRANTS 100,000 MILES” and I really began to think…. what had I done with my life for the last 100,000 miles?

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I kid you not; I sat there driving my car in complete silence for probably hundred miles thinking.  Here’s what I came up with:

 

I’ve grown to be six years older with that car.  It has seen me through some amazing “ups” and has been a place of solace through my fair share of “downs.”

 

In the last 100,000 miles of my life journey… I’ve seen life, amazing, and wonderfully unique life being brought into this world… My little brother B.  So inquisitive, and quick-witted, but his life journey began within my journey… crazy.

 

In the last 100,000 miles I call my life…. I’ve seen death: unstoppable, a thief in his own… it has robbed several loved ones of their time on Earth.  My car has helped me grieve, provide a place of comfort, and a place where i’ve cried at least a hundred times…

 

I’ve seen triumph, in my continuing the journey of higher education.  Making the honor roll, which I kid you not, had not happened since I was in the third grade.

 

I found joy in writing. I never thought I would, because as a child/teen/young adult, for the most part I didn’t enjoy it. It could be because it was “required” haha. Now I have a blog, and I love the chance to write about just about anything.

 

I’ve had some amazing vocal performances in my car, and I am so proud to say, that I had to turn down a Grammy nom, for my stunning rendition of Miss Katy Perry’s “Unconditionally.” seriously, you should thank me for that Katy, I’d have stolen your thunder, girl……… I’ve actually lost my voice during a trip driving to visit relatives 10 hours away (word of advice: just because you CAN sing for 10 hours worth of music and driving…. doesn’t mean you should….. Oh yeah, also, if you sing in your car long enough, you do become as good as Beyoncé, Keith Urban, Adam Levine; aaaaaaaand if you do it long enough, inevitably you are going to get caught in the car somewhere… I’m almost positive I’ve ended up on the Internet somewhere in a show-stopping performance.) Some of you have been subject to the audio punishment when riding in a car with me.

In the last one hundred THOUSAND miles, I’ve learned the value and cost of friendship… I’ve ended friendships that were cancerous, and not healthy… I’ve created friendships, and built bonds with so many people, some of whom I know WILL be life-long friends.

 

I’ve interacted with thousands of people, through work, leisure, and school (which is basically another form of work… I’m just saying… it is.) I have had an opportunity to learn a little bit about them, and more importantly about myself… In the 100,000 miles I have learned that my words can build people up, and help them realize their potential, and I’ve also learned that words, once said, can never be taken back; words can destroy, and devastate someone. As a society we’ve seen the effects that words can have on a person, through the growing numbers of teen suicides.

 

What I hope I may have done accidentally in the last one-hundred-thousand miles:

Change a life– I would love to be able to say I MIGHT have been able to impact someone’s life in a positive way, but I can’t.

Change the world– I’d like to say that I’ve changed the world in the tiniest way possible by trying to be a positive person.

Inspire- There really isn’t anything I can here… I just hope I’ve inspired someone…

It was funny, when I rolled over the 100,000-mile mark; I tried soaking in the moment…

I was in Kansas, there was NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING around. It was 1:53pm, and 59 degrees outside… The song playing on the radio was “For Good” performed the cast of GLEE, which I found to be the most fitting, because it made me think of everyone I’ve shared a moment of my life with in the last 100,000 miles. It makes me smile, because I truly do believe what the lyrics say, “Because I knew you, I have been changed. For good.”

I want to thank each and every one of you so much for sharing your life with me… Life is so unexpected and fragile; each moment should be cherished, enjoyed and appreciated. In the last 100,000 miles, I have appreciated a lot… in the next 100,000 I hope to get the chance to create even more memories.

What have you done in the last 100,000 miles of your life? You ever stopped to think?

Until next time everyone, love fiercely, smile, and keep moving forward, never backwards in this thing we call “Life!”

Here’s to the NEXT 100,000!

 

Much Love,
–L