Hello Everyone,
On November 11th, 2016, the Main Street of America, aka Route 66, aka The Mother Road, turns 90 years old!!!
I only experienced just over 600 of the 2400 miles of Route 66. I got as far as Miami, Oklahoma. But, I had the time of my life. I never felt so free. Free to take my time, do what I want, and enjoy the environment around me.
After my divorce, I avoided going to our old church. For some reason or another, it was ‘her church’. One of the sad things that happens in a divorce is that assets, friends, and places that you once went as a family get divided up. We didn’t discuss on who got the church, it just somehow fell into her lap. At some point, she ended up moving to a small town that was at least an hour away. As far as I know, she does visit very often. One Sunday, I decided to go to ‘our’ church. I will have to admit, I was overcome with emotion. I am sure some of the emotions I felt was, at some level, grief for what was lost. But there was also a side, in that bundle of emotions, a strong sense of belonging. I felt welcomed back and I felt like I could go back home again. I fought back the tears of joy. I savored them inside.
In September of 2016, I took a vacation and went to Route 66. After a couple of days of getting use to driving and geocaching Route 66, I was surprisingly struck with those same feelings. I belonged there. I was welcomed by The Mother Road. It felt as comfortable as home.
I never read, “The Grapes of Wrath”, by John Steinbeck. But his labeling Route 66 as the Mother Road really stuck. The thought of a road being a Mother could take on many meanings.
Mothers give birth. Mothers give life. Mothers are pinnacle in effecting and molding their children. Mothers take a house and make it a home. They take food and make a meal. Mothers are fighters, threaten her children and see her become a warrior. Mothers teach their children, give them hope for opportunities of the future, and inspires her children to explore and learn. She often becomes the teacher. She often preserves history. The children grow and soon it is time for them to leave the nest. She sits back, relaxes, looks forward to visits with her adult children, and waits for the next generation to arrive.
I know that a road cannot physically give life, but for some reason, The Mother Road adopts others into it’s family. Look over the course of time. There are numerous people who call Route 66 home. They made their living with motels, restaurants, museums, gift shops, and tourist traps. They gave back to the Mother Road by adorning her with gifts of neon signs, murals, and the Route 66 shield. She tries to nourish them back by attracting others to drive up and down her path in hopes that they stop, socialize with her children, and open their wallets.
Like a human mother, times are not always good. Mothers get old. Regarding Route 66, the veins of her age break through her tough exterior. Other opportunities opened up and distracted others from seeing the beauty of what her and her children created. Some of the Mother Road’s adopted family moved away.
When mothers get worn out and tired and don’t seem to have the energy to continue on, her loving children come to the rescue. Regarding The Mother Road, her kids established associations, created plans, started fund raisers, and brought greater awareness. Things started to gradually get better. More and more are venturing on Route 66 every year, roads are getting repaired, life for her and her children are starting to get better. Even new technology is being brought in. Don’t believe me, check out the links below.
There is a new wave, a new generation, of visitors who unknowingly are getting adopted into the family.
There are a host of the Mother Road’s children who call themselves, Roadies. Roadies live near and far, and help their Mother and their Route 66 siblings by showing us and guiding us and inviting us, on various forms of social media, on what this family has to offer. I invite you to search them out and follow them.
I am also very thankful for all the passionate Route 66 people out there that have worked very hard to keep the Mother Road alive. She has outlived most of her earlier generation and I pray that she continues until my children and their children have a chance to experience the freedom and the acceptance of Route 66.
I have to admit, I have a very strong desire to become a Roadie myself. I don’t fully feel like I earned the ‘Roadie’ title yet, but I do feel adopted. For now, I am hanging Mother’s pictures on the wall, making plans to return, take in all she has to offer, and plan on giving back if possible.
Happy Birthday Mother Road!!! May there be many more!!!
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