Play

SANTA BARBARA, California // Adam and I used to view play as a singular activity. We would try to set aside a portion of each week to achieve play whether it be rock climbing on the weekend or jogging through Central Park. We worked to play.

While on a beach trip in Santa Barbara a good friend started creating a sand art octopus. We eagerly joined. For 2 hours we built together with intense focus. Nothing else mattered in the world except the octopus. Even knowing that high tide would wash it back out to sea didn't deter our enthusiasm. We were present in the here and now of digging in the sand. I felt so accomplished and cleansed when we completed it. That octopus awoke the sensation of play and creativity in me again that I didn't even realize I had tuned out. This play perspective has spilled over to all aspects of my day to day. 

It used to take me 30 minutes to wake up with an alarm and three snoozes. Now I wake up on my own earlier and happier sans alarm. Im excited to start my day of play. Dishes used to be a chore but now I enjoy taking the time to wash each dish. I'm grateful of the food that dirtied the dish and happy to contribute to the community here.

What I had forgotten was that play is your perspective on life. It's a state of being. All aspects of life can be play. As a kid we innately play all the time and as we grow up we tend to compartmentalize our time into two categories: Play and not play. Basically those who can fly in Peter Pan and those who cannot.

This post is dedicated to Evan and Elena, two of the most playful people I have ever met.

Black Bear

JOSHUA TREE, California // We named our vehicle: Black Bear. Part of this came from the fact we are in a large black SUV and part because Brown Bear was Adam’s favorite book growing up and it seemed appropriate for our 2,400 mile drive across the country, “Black Bear, Black Bear, what do you see?” since all we could do from the car was see what we could see. 

Top 10 time passing the time activities for Black Bear

1. Singing // Not well, we are horrible singers but that doesn’t mean we don’t jam
2. Ukulele // Adam has expanded his world to 10 songs // Redemption song by Bob Marley being the top of his Billboards hits
3. Podcasts // Serial season 1 - discussions of the legal system and theories on who done it
4. Punch Buggy // Just as an FYI we have noticed that half the punch bugs spotted are yellow 
5. Read // Grain Brain - Thanks Heidi for the education
6. Photo hour // We take a photo out the window each minute for an hour
7. Food and Shelter // Where will we sleep tonight planning as well as where is the next third wave coffee shop complete with latte art, pour overs, and free wifi
8. Daily teachings // Reflections of the universe and gratitude which typically are followed by long philosophical discussions about life
9. Snacks // A "Hangry" (Hungry + Angry) travel buddy makes for a long day on the road
10. Navigating // How did Lewis and Clark survive pre cell phones?

Safety first always. Seatbelt's for everyone. 

Similar but Different

EL PASO, Texas // After two back to back 8 hour days of driving I came to two realizations.

The first is that everything is similar. No matter where we are going the power lines always pass us -- one post at a time, evenly spaced apart, rhythmically ticking away the miles. They act as a map towards the future and as a bread crumb trail recording where we have been. They feel like a constant companion. The other thing that is similar is that we are always driving towards a point on the horizon. The roads are long and you can see for miles. They feel infinite. No matter how long I drive there will always be a point on the horizon to urge me onwards. 

The second thing I realized was that everything is different. The United States is a beautiful creature. One that makes you want to linger longer at each twist of the road. Every time the sun hits a mountain and the clouds make a new shadow on the earth the landscape changes like a motion picture demanding to be watched. Crops of pecan trees, mountains of rock and cacti all vibrantly shining natures true colors. The differences are striking.

It made me realize we are all similar but different.

Nature's Heartbeat

HERMLEIGH, Texas // We hit rain for the first time in Texas. It was the first time the skies turned from anything but bright blue and the effect was mesmerizing. We turned off the music and just listen to the rain hit the windshield. It felt chaotic at first but a few minutes in it sounded more like white noise that calmed into a constant rhythm // like a heartbeat. 

We watched the bats take flight at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. The bats have lived in the natural wonder for thousands of years. They migrate each year at the end of October to Mexico and return each spring. Each night like clockwork they emerge at dusk and take to the skies. Thousands of them. It can last anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. I had no expectations of what this would look like. We honestly just happened upon it during our campsite check in. The bats spiral like a tornado counterclockwise until they swarm towards the east in search of insects. At first it looks like someone has just struck a hornets nest and the bats are angrily swarming but then you see them synchronize. They fly together in unison around and around. The sound of the wings echoing the sound of the rain on our windshield. A rhythmic music // nature's heartbeat singing.

Grateful

SELMA, Alabama // There has been a recurring theme I have noticed as I have journaled on the road trip. Three specific and unrelated events that all seem to be part of a larger story. 

While talking to my grandparents about our upcoming road trip it came up that the Shular family had made the cross-country trek many times out of necessity, not pleasure. My grandfather was in the Air Force and was stationed at different bases regularly. My father went to 4 different schools in the 6th grade alone. They traveled in a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville - 2 adults, 5 kids, and 2 dogs. Definitely not a pleasure trip like ours. They started discussing the missions my grandfather had been on when he was my age. How the planes would eject two pilots up and two pilots down when in trouble and depending on how the plane was going down that was a good thing for two people but probably not the others. Life or death. A flip of a coin. A flip of a plane. I comprehend the danger but have never felt that kind of gravity in my decisions. What college should I go to? What should my major be? Will I get a job? Insignificant details that always work themselves out. It was a grounding conversation to say the least.

The second feeling was nothing more than a chill I got while walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 80 degrees of sunshine. This bridge moved the civil rights movement forward. People marched this bridge peacefully. They marched for what they believed in. They marched with the knowledge that violence most certainly would meet them on the other side. They marched anyways because it was what they believed in. We must honor the past or we are sure to repeat it. 

I read an article our friends Stephanie and Steven wrote from Tanzania for "The Other Journal" about National Coffee Day. It hit on points about the separation between product and producer as well as the producer and consumer. They recounted a story where a man had grown coffee for over 50 years on his land and had never tasted the commodity. "In the West, we depend on coffee to keep us awake, but here, it is to keep them alive".

Everyones work and lives seem more purposeful than mine. What is my purpose?  What do I believe in? Those are tough questions but I think asking them may be a step in the right direction. For now I will just try to learn from each story. What am I grateful for: Life, Freedom, and Nourishment // Food and Shelter along our adventure. 

 Link to Stephanie and Stevens full article // Give it a read

http://theotherjournal.com/other-side/2015/09/29/a-dispatch-from-the-fields/

Creators

DEMOPOLIS, Alabama // In the world there are creators and consumers. I have always aspired to be a creator but am aware I consume. I hope to one day contribute as my brother-in-laws family does on their shrimp farm outside Demopolis, Alabama. They have 250 acres (honestly anything over 3 acres my mind struggles to comprehend the magnitude, especially after living in NYC for 7 years) with 22 salt ponds to raise the shrimp in. The farm is 150 miles from the nearest ocean but hundreds of years ago this land was once under water and so when you dig a hole you get salt water which is why he is able to farm shrimp so far from the ocean. The pH and oxygen levels are monitored by solar charged computers at each pond that link to the main computer up at the house. The technology, science and hard work that go into this place would make any person proud. Thanks for showing us around today David and Nadine. 

John Deere went out to the farm in 2014 and produced the below film of a shrimp harvest:

Steak and Crown

NEWNAN, Georgia // There are 4 main things Grandma Shular has taught me over the years: crown on the rocks above all else, steak rare, chocolate chip cookies, and poker. Grandma Shular is a tenacious, gritty, powerhouse woman who I try to channel as often as possible. Thanks for passing me the good genes. 

Friday Night Lights

SOLON, Ohio // We made it to Cleveland without any problems in about 6 hours from DC. The next day we unloaded and returned the truck, and after dinner drove up to my old High School to watch the friday night football game.  I have so many memories from this one square mile radius. So much stress and emotions from 10-15 years ago. Everything seems so insignificant now. After going to college and living in New York City, the choices and decisions I made when I was a teenager, that at once seemed so important, are almost laughable to me now.  Things like high school popularity, getting an A vs a B on an Algebra exam, performing well when I was on the football or track team, all were at once the center of my world. Now, they are just distant memories from a past life that is of no concern or remembrance to anyone except me.  Looking back, it makes me realize to not stress about the small stuff in life, and in the end everything works out.

This guy // love

CLEVELAND, Ohio // We drove all our worldly possessions from NYC to Cleveland, OH in a 12 foot half full Budget rental truck. Adam's parents kindly volunteered their basement to be our storage space while we travel for the year.

As we drove the 500+ miles across the northeast there was a sense of happiness that settled over me. I don't know why, but I was happy. There was nothing productive or efficient about the drive. We didn't create anything. There was nothing to do but just be and I was happy. Perhaps its because I spent all day with this guy. 

Adam gave away a 24 inch computer screen from work he had bought to our good friend in NYC. As he gave it to her he started to get emotional. He expressed his emotions by explaining, "Ive stared at you more than my wife over the last 7 years." Perhaps thats why I'm happy. We traded in our monitors for each other.

What in the World // Happened Today

LEESBURG, Virginia // This is our brilliant niece Maddie.  Her school sends out a daily newsletter complete with pictures about the activities from the day called "What in the World Happened Today". When we visited this past Wednesday my sister let her play with us at home instead of going to school. This is our attempt at a "What in the World" from the day:

"Today we learned about financial literacy. We learned this by diversifying our portfolio to include a piggy bank full of coins from around the world. We counted the coins and placed the coins in the piggy bank slot which helped develop our fine motor skills. We also talked about where each coin was from. Which coin was bigger than the others and which coins were the smallest. Uncle Adam also introduced the idea that sometimes bigger coins aren't always worth more than smaller coins which is a complex idea for even some adults.

We practiced a healthy diet by selecting oranges and grapes to compliment our PBJ sandwiches. Maddie even practiced sharing. As she finished her string cheese she asked Uncle Adam to share more of his which he gladly handed over.

Exercise included making an indoor playground in the basement with couch cushions. Maddie climbed to the top and declared "Im the tallest". We also practiced our two foot jump while listening to music and also while jumping in puddles. 

We then read the book "Head to Toe", "Snuggle Puppy", and "Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" which was an interesting book focused on the idea that its okay to say no."

We are most grateful for this tiny human who brings so much Joy and laughter into our world. Every time she says Auntie Jenny or Uncle Adam she melts our hearts all over again. Maddie hugs are the best hugs.