Have I lost my Mind? Part II

It's common knowledge that Southerners wave at those they pass on the highway. My wife used to ask me, "Who was that?"

 "I don't know".

"Then why'd you wave?"

We do it without thinking. It's just part of the Southern culture. I've noticed tho, that we usually  do this more when driving through rural areas and small towns. You don't see people waving at random strangers in downtown Atlanta, for instance.

The conventional wisdom is that people outside the South wonder if you've lost your mind if you wave at strangers. I remember when I was a young child my Dad unthinkingly waved at some guy on a motorcycle in Lancaster, PA. He was rewarded with a middle finger salute. So I was warned before moving to Indiana that I would need to change my ways.

I'm sorry, I cant't help it. I just wave when I drive. Or if I'm just a passenger. I even wave at the Amish family riding by in their buggy. I'm so pleased when they wave back! I've even had people wave at me first! You can imagine my pleasure when that happens!

So, have I managed, by the sheer magnitude of my personality, to change the culture in Northwestern Indiana? I wish I could say that. It would be wonderful to have that kind of influence wouldn't it? I think the correct answer is that conventional wisdom is wrong. Sure, you go riding through downtown Goshen waving at everybody and you're gonna get some strange looks. You might even have someone wave back with an extended middle finger. But, out in the country-side, people occasionally wave at those they pass or someone driving by. It makes me smile and feel at home, especially when the wave is initiated by the other person. Yeah, I know, sometimes it's because they mistake me for someone else, but I'll take it!

There really are a lot of friendly people around here!

Have I Lost My Mind?

    What possesses a man in his Forties to leave the land of his childhood, the region of his roots, with arguably perfect weather, to a completely different climate, landscape, and culture. Why would he leave all that is familiar and comfortable for what he knows is going to be so vastly different from everything he has ever experienced? Is he crazy?

    So why would I leave my parents and siblings in the glorious Southeastern United States with its mountains, plains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and splendid weather? For What? What makes Northern Indiana so attractive to a man from the south? Don't people from the Northern United States work their whole lives to be able to retire South? Here the lakes are small and crowded. The water's too cold to enjoy swimming except in July. The wind NEVER stops blowing. The only waterfall is a dam on the local reservoir. The hiking trails are manicured. There are no wild places. Why have I moved here? Have I lost my mind?

Motivation is a funny thing. It's  flavors and colors are many but at it's core there are only a few things that compel us to act in ways that seem counter to all that is reasonable, sensible and prudent.  Fear, Money, Dissatisfaction, Calling, Love, Desire, the whole range of human emotion can focus our energy strongly enough to get us moving, but, any one of  these may not be enough by itself . Fear can cause inaction. Dissatisfaction often only results in grumbling. We try to deny our callings.  Love seems to be the only one of these compelling factors that needs no assistance. The right combination of these motivations will overcome reason and common sense every time. The direction they point becomes reason and common sense.

No. I haven't lost my mind. My decision, I should say our decision, was the perfectly reasonable, common sense thing to do.  You see, there are factors much deeper and more compelling than the merely external world of weather and landscape: Emotions- love, desire, dissatisfaction, hope; tangibles- money, family (my wife's parents), the "perfect" job.

What is motivating you? Love? Fear? Pain? Desire? Are you following a calling? I'd love to read your story. Share your story in the comment section.