Day 01c: 1st Night; 1st Adventure … (09/09/18)
After a long first day of walking I arrived much later than planned in the village of Schoenaich and tried to set up shop on a bench outside the local town hall. And yet between the jet-planes regularly flying low overhead (I was relatively near the Stuttgart airport at this time) and the surprisingly frigid temperatures anything even faintly resembling sound sleep was not possible. So I got up at around midnight, packed up my things, and set off through town looking for a warmer venue in which to get some shut-eye. I soon stumbled upon a local bank and came to realize that the foyer housing its cash machines was both open and warm. So I entered, hunkered down in a corner thereof, and slept soundly until 4am … 🙂
Shortly after waking, as I was waiting for the sun to rise and light the day’s path, two police officers showed up; having been called by a “concerned citizen” who had been frightened that morning by the apparent homeless person sleeping in the foyer of their bank. Even though I was shocked that the authorities would confront me on the very first day of my pilgrimage (and even though I was left wondering if the same was going to become a regular occurrence), I waved kindly as they entered and the following exchange took place:
Police: “Good morning … What are you doing here?”
Me: “I didn’t mean to cause anyone any concern. I was just trying to stay warm until it gets light out and I can continue my walk.”
Police: “What walk?”
Me: “I am walking a peace pilgrimage from Stuttgart all the way to Chattanooga, Tennessee in the United States.”
Police: “Why in the world are you doing that?”
Me: “Because I believe that — even though they rarely show it these days — most humans are in truth Kind at heart, and I am trying to inspire them to remember the same and act accordingly.”
Police: “Oh ……… Well, let us see your identification.”
Me: “I don’t have any. I burned all my ID yesterday morning before setting out.”
Police: “You burned all your ID?!?!?”
Me: “Yes.”
Police: “Why did you do that?”
Me: “To keep the focus on my message of kindness instead of myself, and to make sure my friends in the U.S. know that that I have no safety net whatsoever; that if people are not Kind to me (like I know they will be), then I will suffer greatly &/or die along the way.”
Police: “Oh ………… Well, what is your name and where do you live?”
Me: “My name is now Numinous and I no longer have a home address or a nationality.”
Police: “Oh …………………………..”
Me: “Like I said: I don’t want to cause you or anyone else any trouble, and can just be on my way to Herrenberg right now if you’d like.”
Police: “Well ……… Alright. But we will have to take your picture for our report; seeing as how your shirt is now your new identity.”
Me: “Fair enough …” (I then smiled and struck a peace-pose while they took pictures of me front & back)
Police: “OK then. Have a good day and a nice walk.”
Me: “Thank you very much … You too.”
And so it was that I walked on to Herrenberg … 😀
P.S. The 3rd image below is of a sticker on the front door of the bank. In a delightful hint of irony it reads: “Sleeping is easy.” … 🙂
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