You. Guys. Today’s journey was a beast. I woke up, still exhausted from yesterday’s drive, to the sound of rain pattering against my window. I was very confused considering when I drove into Little Rock yesterday, it was 92 degrees.
Seeing the rain, I knew it would make my journey that much harder but I hoped it would subside once I got on the road. Again, it did not. The first hour was easy enough. But then there was construction which closed down the freeway from two lanes to one. Add the rain and a bunch of semis and what was once a two hour drive to Memphis, became three.
So that was hard enough. I stopped at a diner called Westby’s, hoping that some hot food would soothe my soul and energize me for the next 3 hours I had left of the journey. While it was delicious and comforting in everyway… it was not enough to ease the pain of semis passing semis and people forgetting how to drive because of the drops of water falling from the sky.
My leg ached, but cruise control was virtually impossible with the inane rhythm of speeding up just to slow down. I was so tired that an hour into the drive I had to pull over and take a nap because I could not keep my eyes open. I slept for half an hour at a gas station, then woke up and bought a monster and some krispy kreme because, goddammit, I paid for an airbnb and I was determined to show up!!!!!!
I pushed and I pushed and I yelled at the semis and finally, I made it to my new home. I settled in and rested for a bit while listening to my hosts jam out in the basement downstairs. After I met them, they invited me to join them. I listened, I played tambourine, I sang some covers, I played electric guitar, I sang originals, I listened some more and just felt like…. Every single struggle I’ve had the entire journey built up to this moment of acceptance and welcoming from the best group of people you could ever meet. They were so encouraging and talented and resourceful and so willing to help me perform and reach the most amount of people during my time here.
I couldn’t have asked for a better first night. I can only imagine what comes next.
‘Til tomorrow,
-Presley
Presley 