Crossing The Divide

Forces are shifting, and topography is changing. I have felt that each one has been reflecting challenges for me, as well as momentum I've been gaining on this journey. 

On the first day I started this momentous drive, I felt as if there was a force making it more difficult for me to go forward. As I was ascending into the Sierra Nevada mountain range via Interstate 80, I felt that more than gravity was challenging me in my attempt to leave loved ones to pursue my aspirations. With all of the love I shared in California, I can say that emotional attachments are not to be underestimated. And with them goes a spiritual challenge, even a temptation. CS Lewis put it so well in his short book "The Screwtape Letters." In that thin volume, he spins the tale of a senior devil named Screwtape, who is coaching a junior demon named Wormwood on how to tempt souls. Screwtape advises Wormwood that when people initially start out on new endeavors, they are much more susceptible to temptation, whereas later, after they have gotten stronger, they are much harder to tempt. So, it is in light of this spiritual knowledge that I am reminding myself that this early stage is one of the harder parts of this new adventure. 

Almost as if they are manifestations of this temptation, yesterday and today I have seen surprising signs. Yesterday in the middle of the desert in Nevada, and today in the midst of the prairie of Wyoming, while driving east on Interstate 80, I saw flatbed trucks heading west on I-80 with brand new, shiny BART (San Francisco Bay Area subway) train cars on top of those flatbed trucks. And yesterday, as I was driving through Salt Lake City, I saw a sports car with a Utah license plate that said BAY AREA. 

Given that I didn't feel strong pangs of nostalgia upon seeing these reminders, perhaps I'm feeling stronger than I expected to feel. Or maybe I'm just gaining momentum toward my goal. Or, since I crossed the Continental Divide today, perhaps gravity has shifted in my favor, and is now pulling me toward my goal. 

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