You Have Arrived

Google Maps and a Checkout Line at Kroger's

Driving last week from Minnesota through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia gave us a lot of time to read the signs, listen to music, and ponder the world we live in.

We have made this trip several times; the first occasion was over 20 years ago. A lot has changed in our world since then. We wondered what we would find this time.

When we first drove the journey in 2004, we had an old Dodge Caravan with a cassette tape deck. We purchased the complete Star Wars radio series on cassettes to keep our kids’ attention throughout the two-day trip. Our kids were 7 and 11 years old, and we all loved hearing 14 hours of Star Wars together. We needed imagination.

We had paper maps then. Our cell phones had little coverage outside major metropolitan areas. Our country was at war in the Middle East.

The Caravan’s air conditioning went out in Kentucky. That was fun. The old van made the 20 hour trip to our friends’ driveway in Virginia, where the serpentine belt promptly broke apart upon arrival. We were so fortunate not to be stranded for days somewhere in Kentucky. The guy who towed our van to Staunton and fixed it over the next few days was amazing in showing kindness to a random traveler.

It reminded me there are good people everywhere who try to help make our world a little better.

Since then, it seems like the world we had expected for our kids has fallen apart. We were not expecting to be fighting fascism and extreme oligarchy when our kids reached adulthood. We did not anticipate such a violent backlash to civil rights and voting rights, as well as to women’s health and LGBTQ openness.

In 2004, we did not know our country would get the wrong lesson from Star Wars. In 2004, we did not foresee concentration camps for immigrants, nor armed squads on our streets. We need imagination now.

A lot has changed, but we took the trip again this year — with our dogs, not our grown children this time. This time we used online map apps for most of the trip, which provided one humorous bit. Every time we would get to our interim destination (motel, rest stop, etc.), the app would cheerfully announce “You have arrived.”

I loved that! Nobody has ever told me, “Hans, you have arrived!” It certainly did not seem apparent otherwise. World events certainly seemed the complete opposite to that message. It made me smile to imagine “what if” it were real - You have arrived.

We noticed plenty of signs along the 1200 mile trek. There were fewer Trump signs than a few years ago, which was a relief to us. For some reason, southern Indiana features a steady stream of signs asking, “Injured in an accident?” accompanied by a cheesy image of a personal injury lawyer. So we laughed along I-74 when a random sign interrupted the personal injury ones with an image of chicken wings and the words “Pan Fried in Hog Fat - Wagners.” I am sure that would appeal to certain people, but it just showed me we were in a different part of the country.

After we arrived in Virginia, I went to Kroger’s to pick up a few items - blueberries, tortillas, cheese, black beans, and a big bottle of Gingerade on sale. As usual, the map app cheerfully announced, “You have arrived!”

The cashier rang up the items (totaling $20.57) and asked if I had a Kroger’s card. I said I was just visiting from Minnesota and did not have one. The cashier said, “It’s free, and it would save you money.” I said no thanks. The elderly woman behind me said, “Here, hon. You can use mine.” She took out her key chain, which had 7 keys and about 5 different cards on it. None were a Kroger’s card, however, but she looked three times and asked the cashier to look while I stood by.

Meanwhile her husband reached into his wallet and took out his Kroger’s card. Smiling, he handed it over the counter and the cashier scanned it. “See?” she said, “You saved nearly two dollars.” I thanked them all for their kindness. They were showing kindness to a random traveler.

It reminded me there are good people everywhere who try to help make our world a little better.

As I went back to the car, I remembered what the map app had said when we got to Kroger’s. “You have arrived.” Maybe it was right. I spend so much time worrying about the state of the world, and trying to find ways to act with principle. But sometimes I look past the people right before me, and miss the goodness at hand. Maybe the app was just trying to get my attention, to get me to be present where I was, to notice what is possible here. Now.

Maybe the sign I needed was that simple. “You have arrived.” So this moment is a chance to live again with imagination.