therealwil.com

You have no clue how many of us left in search of. We weren’t looking for fame or fortune, riches or wealth, nor reputation or power. We left in search of one of the rarest commodities known to mankind. It’s called Peace.

You have no idea how nourishing Peace is until you have almost died of starvation without it. Refused, neglected and never allowed to experience it, one comes to conclusions that seem to come in the form of life and death abrupt decisions. I’m thinking, If I don’t leave now, I won’t survive here much longer. If I don’t cut and run now, I might die in this. If I don’t take my chances and flee into the muddy, dark, snake infested swamp in an attempt to escape, this just might be fatal or forever. Neither am I willing to accept.

So we gather what we can and leave behind all that we own and have earned over the years, in pursuit of the intangible, priceless, commodity called Peace. Everything of great monetary value that cannot fit into my hand, this small purse, backpack, car or trailer, is left behind in of hopes of finding the invaluable precious jewel by the name Peace. We are willing to excavate a million miles of cold dark caves to mine for it.

So we leave. We really don’t have a well thought out plan, strategy or even a direction. Sometimes all we know is that staying here is not an option and any where is better than where I just left. I heard a hitchhiker say, after the truck driver asked where was going? New York? Kansas? Vermont? The man said, “Anywhere you are going is a good place. Just as long as it’s not where I just came from.” We don’t have mansions, rental property, empty condos and cabins or acres of land. We don’t have limousines, Uber or taxis waiting to transport us. Sometimes we have to leave on foot, barefoot, hitching a ride, biking or striking out with a half a tank of gas and no money. We only have what’s in our head and hands, hope in our hearts and the belief that things will get better.

We find unconventional places to get a new start. We recognize that a new place does not require or provide us a new place. Most times a new beginning will be a extra back bedroom, a car, a cheap motel, a shabby apartment or crashing on someone’s couch.

If you have never had to leave in search of Peace, you don’t know the value and joy of being able to close a locked door behind you, pull a shade down, pull the cover up over your face and not have to fear, for at least one night, having your peace overtaken and stolen. So we choose sleeping on floors in empty apartments, sitting up in cars, under the street lamps, or dozing during the day to avoid the attack during the nights.

You wear what you have on when you left and a slight variation there of. It’s not a fashion show it’s an move of desperation.

Many won’t understand nor do we have the time to explain. Unless you are willing to “walk and talk,” I’m not willing to stand around to discuss it and bring you up to speed. I’ll brief you when I’m in a safe place to share but for now, “Please get out of my way!!”

Meals are unplanned and impromptu. While in search of Peace, I consistent hot meal, or a plated meal of far and in between for a while. Paper plates and fast food bags will suffice. It’s sometimes the sacrifice made and the dues offered to pay the fare of the ferry traveling to a land called peace.

Is it that serious? Yes it is. Some situations carry enough acid and toxicity to destroy and wipe out an entire city. This is not to be mistaken with the cowardly “cut and run.” This is not the abandonment because of a small dose of inconvenience. This is about my life and what I need, desire and deserve.

I’ll end with my first line, “You have no clue how many of us left in search of Peace.”

I love you#PeaceSeekerWIL