I’ve returned!

It’s been about 25 days out on the road but I am finally home. I traveled across 7 states and many different ecological boundaries in a journey to visit strangers, friends, and family. I did manage to find artists to interview for my oral history ethnography project, and while I wished I could have done more I realized I needed to focus on my family while I was there in the flesh. For someone whose only experience is volunteer radio, communications studies, and extreme conversationalist, I thought I did pretty well on a self-organized project like this. Of course there will be some obvious mistakes and hidden tricks I’ll stumble over during the process. I still have recordings to go over, paperwork to sign, more paperwork to send, emails to send, and follow-ups to do. Don’t worry, I have not forgotten.
During the trip, I slid into a mental state of mind where I was letting myself linger with the people who mattered to me, prioritizing listening without intention over recording. Deciding whether to let a thought be without holding on to it or to pursue it further, I mused to myself instead of rigorously journaling and documenting my thought process. I had tried and experimented many attempts at harnessing my inner writer, so telling myself it was fine to let go, that this was a casual trip, was profound for me. I got to create my own pressure for my own needs and desires and practiced telling myself things were important to me simply because I felt that way, no justification needed. It was time spent away from home and it was worth it; lingering one or two days longer than planned at family you rarely see is a beautiful excuse for simple pleasures, especially during a car camping road trip.