Today’s blog, from the road
Lynn Murphy Mark
A ride along memory lane
I’ve done a lot of driving in the past two days. The distance from Indianapolis to Santa Fe is about 1300 miles. Fortunately it’s all interstate, so the miles tick by quickly when the speedometer says 85. And, I have XM satellite radio. I listened to all the news about Hurricane Ian until I had heard all the details several times. Then I discovered channel 77 where they play Broadway show tunes. I was in heaven as I sang along with the classics – Oklahoma, South Pacific, The Music Man, and so many more. That made the miles pass pleasantly.
But as I drove along Highway 70 from Indianapolis I remembered all the times that I had driven that road to visit my Indiana family. Most of them are gone from this world, but their personalities and their accomplishments are still with me. All of the Aunts and Uncles are now memories. Several of the Cousins are no longer with us. They were all good, hardworking people who did their best to contribute to the world around them. My one cousin, Elaine, said that I should write a book about them as examples of regular people living their best lives.
I got to St. Louis and of course I know that most of my life has been lived in its’ boundaries. It all started with attending nursing school at a hospital that is no longer standing. I learned so much from my nursing days about the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity. I raised my children here and have a storehouse of precious memories about their growing up. I’m happy to say that they and their partners are hardworking, good people. It runs in the family if I may say so myself.
I joined Highway 44 West, headed for Tulsa, Oklahoma, where my mother’s family lived. As a kid I looked forward to being with my Uncle Richard, who traveled around the state and would bring me little Native American mementos. After my mother and father retired there, I would make several trips a year to see them. My father died young in a nursing home in rural Oklahoma. My mother grieved herself to death, living a quiet life in a small apartment in Tulsa. She never lost her sense of humor, which is what I loved most about her.
As I was driving on the toll road, I was talking to Jackie, who was also driving on her way home from school. As the toll booth approached we were in a discussion about I don’t remember what and I blew through the wrong gate. Instead of stopping to pay, I took the “Pike Pass” entrance. I don’t have a Pike Pass. Oklahoma Highway Patrol frowns on such antics. Fortunately I stopped at the next toll booth and confessed my sin. The nice young man gave me tickets to prove that I paid my way after all. I am to expect a letter from OHP.
I stayed in Tulsa overnight in a cookie cutter hotel. The bed was comfortable and there was a Cardinals game on TV – miracle of miracles. Unfortunately there were no miracles for the Cardinals and they lost to the Brewers. Who cares? The Cardinals clinched the division and will be in post-season play.
I left Tulsa behind and roared toward Oklahoma City. The speed limit is 75, which means 85 in my book. By now I was well into the Broadway channel until I got to Oklahoma City. It’s important to pay attention to road signs because there are many choices, only one of them that would get me to my destination, Santa Fe.
Changing to Highway 40, I headed toward Texas and eventually New Mexico. I have also driven this route many times. It represents my pilgrimage to Santa Fe in 2009, when I decided to move there. Living in Santa Fe was life altering for me. I made great friends, and grew spiritually, and stretched my nursing abilities into being a middle school nurse. So, yesterday, as I approached the “Welcome to New Mexico” sign I smiled broadly. Being in New Mexico just makes me smile.
Another couple of hours and I pulled into the driveway of my friends Patti and Nancy, who are graciously hosting me for the next 8 days. We had a great and very healthy dinner, did a lot of laughing, talked about our lives, and I made friends with their “new” puppy, a very cute Havanese who barks like our Mollie Dog does. And so the fun begins!