I had forgotten what a weekend away from home felt like. I will not lie, I have not had a good vacation like the ones I have dreamed of all my life, perhaps it is due to the long work shifts that I have to confront and my pockets without coins. The body gets tired, exhausted, loses energy and requires a healthy recovery. I guess that's why I decided to escape from the dull routine that I've had in the last few months, and instead travel to the depths of nature. My uncle has a truck, and he sells corn to the farthest towns. I accompanied him, with the excuse of helping him, although what I really wanted was to clear my mind. It was an excellent Saturday.
We had to go to a town called “New World”, but the road was not easy. Part of the trip was full of roads with large reeds on the sides and giant mountains in front. The breeze felt like the north pole, I even thought tropical weather was extinct. My uncle is a lover of North American music, especially Jazz. We listened to Jazz while the tires of the truck devoured the pavement. It smelled like wet grass, I honestly hadn't smelled that smell since childhood. Come to think of it, the city is boring. I like more the rustic and wild countryside. I wished that Saturday was eternal.
When I was a child, my dad took me out for a walk every weekend. My brothers and I happily greeted adventure Fridays that lasted until Sunday. That changed with the crisis in my country, because the lack of money forced us to become adults prematurely. Still, some of the adventurous spirit lay dormant in my body. I am glad that with this trip that young man that I was was reborn as a phoenix. I needed to feel free! And I think I managed it, because my head doesn't feel as overwhelmed as it used to.
A road trip is capable of making you very thoughtful, in my case, the imagination lights up. Here's another fun fact about me: I suffer from writer's block and there are few ways I can find to get out of that horrible inspirational freeze. But that Saturday I managed to renew my ideas: the world in motion helped me to clarify my thoughts. The trip was getting long, but refreshing. My uncle traded Jazz for Guns N` Roses. We began to sing in the middle of the mountains that moved on the horizon. What can I tell you? We are hopelessly insane.
New World is a town lost in time, or so it seems. The streets are broken and the concrete houses seem abandoned, even so, its inhabitants have a big heart. There is no electricity, nor domestic gas; it is a village of rudimentary farmers. Corn is their only livelihood, but transporting it is not that easy. My uncle is one of the few carriers that takes corn to his house, maybe that's why they love him like a brother. We Venezuelans are like that, very friendly and above all hard-working. This trip also taught me that even in the most remote places there is brotherhood. I will schedule more Saturdays like these in my calendar.
The way back was full of clouds and more mountains. The east of Venezuela has an imposing and precious relief. It is nice to breathe the fresh air of nature; I think my lungs are already tired of the carbon dioxide that accumulates in the city. In the future, I would like to live in a pollution-free town, without so much technology, or at least with the necessary one. I would be happy, who says you can't be happy in the depths of nature? This Saturday helped me reflect on "true poverty." It's not how much money you have, it's how satisfied you are. The people of that town are happy with so little... there is no doubt that wealth is not in the bills, it is in the heart.
So, like I was saying, I'd go live somewhere surrounded by mountains, maybe grow a beard because beards are cool, and maybe buy an old but tough truck. I would like to have some cows and some pigs, and chickens, lots of chickens! On Saturdays I would take advantage of them to go swimming in the river (the place must have a river) and do some fishing. I like campfires at sunset, so I would also make a lot of campfires. I can possibly see the extinct stars in the city and play the guitar that I have never played. How wonderful! Alison in the field. With little, but at the same time with a lot.
It will definitely be one of my future goals, for now, I'm still at home, remembering that wonderful Saturday. The first Saturday of many to come, and from now on I will not waste it.
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