Day 129b: A Friend in more than name … (September 05, 2019)
I started to enter the University District proper* and came across the Clemons Library in short order. Its doors were student-ID activated and there were no students on hand that early in the morning, so I resorted to knocking on the door until the library attendant on call rose, came to the door, heard about my Walk, let me in, allowed me to use the library’s computers to access the internet and send out a mass email, and then even offered to buy me some snacks for The Road. It turned out that his name was Scott as well (though spelled differently, of course) and that he too suffered from sleep deprivation.** I remained there for awhile chatting with him amicably about all sorts of topics, and it is fair to say that even in that short amount of time we formed a solid friendship. Sometimes it’s just like that – sometimes two personalities simply “jive” to the degree that spending time together is an easy joy no matter what the circumstance or topic discussed … A bit later it was time to flow onward, and Scott & I hugged it out and I headed back out onto The Way.
*Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia’s main campus.
**Pretty much every Peace Pilgrim ever has suffered from sleep deprivation at one time or another; at least until he or she got into enough of a pilgrimage-groove that deep sleep could be had even without a roof overhead (something that was not currently the case with yours truly).
“A true friend unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, endures all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably … I like being out here on The Road. I like that pilgrims (and those well met by pilgrims) are, for the most part, at their best. They are open and alive and conversation is neither small nor dull. In such instances we seem to be able to skip the superficial pleasantries of how’s your day and get right into the heart of things. Maybe all travel opens us up like this. Now if we can just learn to live the same with others in the days we aren’t roaming the roadways” ~ inspired by William Penn & Thomas L. Qualls
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