We the People of the Lincoln Highway

     Last weekend I took a quick trip to California (which is why I did not post a blog last week).  I decided to take the Lincoln Highway (US 50) through Nevada on my way home to Colorado.  I had never driven that route before and had heard that it was something to experience.  I had no idea!

     It was Sunday afternoon by the time I left Carson, NV.  I had a large late breakfast with my extended family back in Grass Valley, CA so I didn’t need to stop for lunch.  Armed with snacks and a full tank of gas, I hit the truly open road.  The middle of Nevada is one of the few places in America where you can look out on a 30-mile-wide valley and not see another soul. 

     In the midst of that isolation I saw something that took some real commitment.  Okay, I’ll be honest.  I didn’t see it until I looked back at one of the several one-handed random photos I took as I flew down that two-lane ribbon.  Along the shoulder the Preamble of the United States Constitution was written out in stones.  A little research told me that it took Michael Iacovone five days of work in the hot desert sun to complete that statement 20 miles east of Fallon.

     In the evening of my drive in the desert, still in Nevada, I saw something extraordinary.  SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket and it created an amazing light show on the southwestern sky.  I had to stop and take pictures and watch in awe.  What a cap to a unique day!

     I have to stand in awe of the efforts that each of those sights took.  I also wonder if I have ever put that kind of effort into any one project.  What comes to mind are the long-term commitments of my everyday life.  My faith, my family, my friends, and my professions occupy the bulk of my time.  What if I took time to do something truly out of the ordinary?

     Tonight, I struggle to find the words to convey the wonder of it my experiences last Sunday.  That is my commitment.  I seek to enrich other’s lives through words that hope to convey the wonder of every aspect of life.  I am committed to completing “Wil Clarey: School of Hard Knocks” by the end of November and moving on to the next project.  I am not yet sure if it will be book three of the Wil Clarey series or if it will be completing one of my other stories.  Maybe I will ask your help in deciding.  For now, I will ask you this – will you join me in writing for the National Novel Writing Month?  Sign up and share your words and your wonder!