I should never watch “The Shawshank Redemption.” Two lines of dialogue in this movie always reverberate deep within my soul: ““Hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing, and no good thing ever dies” and “Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” Both statements are equally true. But one statement more than any other cuts to the core of my being, sparking desires and stirring fantasies beyond my wildest imagination: “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really: get busy livin, or get busy dyin.”
This movie – especially the final scene – always fill me with a deep desire to escape, to run as far away as humanly possible, to seek warmer climates, to leave the real world of expectations and reason far behind and embrace living in the moment.
I'm not sure why most of my thoughts seem to center around driving these days - perhaps it's the increased amount of it I'm doing. But somehow, it seems I inevitably end up with time to think while driving. This weekend and next week I will have quadruple the amount of time as I'm heading down to North Carolina for a short beach trip!!! I'm looking forward to it, and yet part of me is bogged down, heavy with contemplation and thought as I try to figure out where I'm going and what I'm doing.
Headlights shining against the speeding road beneath the tires, cruise control pushing along at a steady rate, a crescent moon drifting lazily in and out of clouds, a clear sky filled with millions of stars shining brightly, drifting in and out of fog, headlights passing at breakneck speeds, and the sweet warm humid air rushing in through the open car windows… this is truly a breathtakingly beautiful late summer night road trip. Heading home from a wonderful day spent visiting my girlfriend, my heart and mind are racing with thoughts of friendship and companionship, of good times and fond memories… 
