2019 … Greater relief in Radford
And then it was that I wandered into the wonderful town of Radford, Virginia, where I first remained for many a blissful hour at the Radford University library – so many hours in fact that the sun was on its way to setting by the time I departed and made my way back onto The Road. I easily made my way through town thereafter and soon came across a local Applebee’s restaurant on the hamlet’s far outskirts, pulling in to get one more drink of water before heading onward back into “the wilderness.” And yet no sooner had I explained my Walk and its mission to the employees there than the hostess (Brennan) told me to have a seat in one of the locale’s comfortable booths and the manager (Rich) came out to talk to me for awhile and tell me that dinner was on him. And even though Applebee’s had not a single vegan option on their entire menu (A polcy that has surely changed since, right?) Rich simply told his chefs to be creative and they whipped up a truly delicious, cruelty-free meal in no time. The bartender on hand (Robyn) – who was possibly the most excited of anyone to hear about my Peace-full Adventure – then treated me to a glass of delicious (and delightfully pain-numbing) red wine, and waiter Chris enjoyed not only serving me but asking all sorts of questions about the Whys and the Hows of my trek. And then, after my meal had been eaten and our camaraderie had been ensconced, Rich came out one more time to thank me for me injecting some (apparently) much-needed positivity into the place, and I felt deeply uplifted by the entire event as we all jubilantly hugged it out, wished each other a sincerely heartfelt “All-The Best”, and I headed back out onto The Way …
“Everyone belongs to a society, whether he wishes it or not, whether he chooses it or not, even whether he contributes constructively to its development or actually does the reverse. Community, on the other hand, is the actual goal, for community implies something much different – something far more vast & needed. For community is what happens when one interacts with others nearby in a manner that is intentionally affirmative and responsible and compassionate. Community in the economic sense implies an emphasis on the social values of charity and the functions of material generosity. Community in the psychological sense involves the individual’s relating himself to others with a sense of humility and attentiveness and caring … Indeed, wherever people gather for selfless ends, there is a vast & wondrous augmentation of each of their individual capacities. Something wonderful, something momentous happens in all such interactions. An irresistible force of harmony and goodness begins to move; a force which, though we may not see it directly do so, is going to change our world.” ~ inspired by Rollo May & Eknath Easwaran
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