Date: 2011-06-04
To: Back on the Trail Today!
Miles today: 0.0

I'm sitting here in my hotel room in Bristol, about an hour and a half's drive from where I need to turn in my rental car. From there it¢s an hour's ride back to the trail (still not sure how I'm going to get there but things always seem to work themselves out.) Then, Flycatcher and Sunshine are back!!! Woohooo, looking forward to the next phase of our adventure! I just have this feeling that everything is going to be amazing. The weather is going to improve, the miles are going to be easier, and there are new friends to be made! I am going to continue to grow stronger, healthier, and more at peace. Life is, indeed, beautiful, and I am filled with optimism. Carpe diem.I have a new story to share. I do so with some trepidation, because I tell you this story at great personal cost. You see, it¢s going to reveal, once again, just what a ditz I really am. It will also reveal, however, just how amazing some people can be.On Thursday evening I fueled up my car at a truck stop in Louisiana, my last refueling for the day. I drove on until I began to feel thirsty, so I pulled off to get myself one of my beloved Diet Dr. Peppers, and lo and behold my wallet was gone! I tried to suppress my panic and retrace my steps, hoping to remember where I¢d last stopped. So, I got back on the highway and drove back the way I¢d come, hoping something would trigger my memory. The last thing I remembered was putting it on top of my rental car as I stopped to allow Tessa to have a break. I drove and drove, but nothing triggered any recognition, and I realized the futility of retracing my steps. So I drove back to Jackson, the last place I¢d been, and decided that I couldn¢t go any further until I had some sort of resolution. This time the potential for disaster was even greater than when my stuff sack was stolen, because then it was just meds, money, and memories, but at least I still had identification and a debit card, so I wasn¢t stranded. This time, however, it was all of my cash, credit cards, insurance, and identification. (Yes, let¢s all just acknowledge right here and right now that I are a total ditz, and now let¢s move on.) I knew I had to conserve whatever fuel was left in my tank in case I had to do some running around to resolve the issue. In the meantime, I was stuck, and I didn¢t quite know what to do. I sheepishly called Pat and confessed what I¢d done, and he was extremely reassuring that everything would be all right. Knowing I had no cash for a hotel, he advised me to find a well-lit place to park my car (no way I was going to make camp in Jackson, Mississippi!), and he began making call after call on my behalf from Austin, trying to figure out how to wire me emergency funds, cancel credit cards, retrace my steps through checking credit card activity, etc. He did everything he could for me that night, but he, too, found that nothing could be done at the late hour, so we decided that I should just stay put until morning, when, hopefully, a solution could be found. So, I ate a dinner of trail mix while huddled in the back se at of my car in the sweltering heat. I wanted to open a window, but by then I realized that I was in a pretty seedy part of Jackson, and I wanted that car locked up tight. So, no fresh air for me. In fact, at about two in the morning I was awakened by the sound of screaming. Two drunken women were having an all-out catfight, complete with slapping and hair-pulling. It was fascinating. I peered out to see what the fuss was, then slunk back down. I didn¢t need for two angry tough chicks to know I was alone nearby. They battled it out for a while, then the police circled the parking lot and the two quickly left. I didn¢t want to talk to the police, either. What was I going to say? ¢Uh, yes officer, it¢s true. No insurance. No driver¢s license. No money. No, this is not my car, it¢s a rental. No, I don¢t have the contract. Yes I know it¢s 2:00 am and I am in the backseat of my car and this doesn¢t look good.¢ I just didn¢t want to go there, so I hunkered down until he left, then slept as best I could (which wasn¢t well at all).In the morning it was time to look for a solution. I¢d suggested to Pat that he should watch my blog, in case someone posted. (I carry calling cards in my wallet with my website address, and I¢d hoped that if anyone found my wallet, they might post.) Sure enough, the wallet had been found and, indeed, the finders DID post! Pat made contact with them through that blog post and subsequent Facebook exchanges, finally getting their phone number and coordinating my meeting with them. Turns out that these folks were on a road trip and headed to Florida. They stopped at the truck stop and found my wallet, recognized its value and decided not to trust turning it in. They wanted to get it to me themselves. Their plan had been to hold on to it until they reached me, at which time they would mail it to me. Now comes the best part: when Pat asked them where they were at that moment, they told him they were at a hotel in Jackson Mississippi!!!!! Just where I was!!! More incredible, they were about 4 miles from where I¢d slept in my car the night before! Amazing! Tortoise, I think my trail fairies are with me again! Pat was my go-between, GPS coordinator (he stayed with me as I drove, saying, ¢Now you¢ll be turning onto¢¦¢ Pat, I am so grateful for all of your help in getting this issue resolved. I couldn¢t have done it without you!I drove to the hotel where my Good Samaritains, Nelson and Joyce C., were staying. I had an absolutely delightful breakfast with them. They are just the nicest couple! All of my belongings were intact, and they wouldn¢t allow me to so much as buy them breakfast. I shared my story with them, hugged each of them about six times apiece, and left with a glow in my heart. I told them that although I wasn¢t on the trail at that particular moment, they were still trail angels because without their kindness and honesty, my trip might have been postponed indefinitely. So Nelson and Joyce, Cheers! Thank you so much for being the sort of people that you are. And I promise to pay it forward. That¢s how I live my life anyway. Nelson and Joyce said they have a daughter in Florida who is in charge of a number of radio stations, and that maybe she might share my story on the radio in Florida. Yay! Maybe my folly will bring more attention to my cause. Maybe another child will be put to bed tonight in a safe sleeping position, all because I lost my wallet and two kind people found it, and indirectly brought more attention to my cause. If they do talk about me on the radio, I grant permission to use terms such as ¢ditz,¢ ¢scatter-brained,¢ etc., so long as they also talk about safe sleep!It¢s time for me to pack my stuff and head for Boone. Happy trails!!!!!!