How to inhale solitude and exhale strength (or travelogue)

Begin by stroking the head of a cat. Find yourself unexpectedly on the threshold of a farmhouse. Run your fingers slowly along rough, twisted wood and liken it to the path your feet have found for not quite 48 years. Drive with the windows down and remind yourself that you are not running from anything, you are paying homage to standing firm and rooting deep, which explains why you are singing so loudly. 

Park your truck on the side of the road in a lost town. Dance in dust while the afternoon sun turns your hair to flames. Look into the eyes of a broken stranger and learn grace when he fills your arms with lavender and sage. That hug feels like homecoming but you will never know his name, which is exactly as it should be.  

You have come to this place on the right day. the light is thick liquid seeping across the sky and the trees are birthday candles on fire. Touch the feather in the door frame of your ancient room and be blessed by those who have come before. Find heaven in the form of a bookstore. Eat dinner with a stranger then dance in a room full of friends. Nobody says it aloud, but we are all seeking safe  haven tonight and we have found it here in the sound of saxophone and drum. Be reminded that everything is perfect just the way it is.