Back down in the valley I meet up with two friends who are also wrapping up their New Year’s plans. The three of us overlap for lunch and a walk, before taking one to the airport.
Those two were seemingly inseparable in college. Their names were said in the same breath. Not to say they weren’t their own people, but when speaking to others it was common to precise that it was Ian of Pat-&-Ian. A duo. While the two of them were already up to date on the other’s life, we each take turns giving quick recaps of the last years. They both seem to be in it, life that is. Both have successful jobs, promotions coming and recently received. Holidays spent here and energy spent there.
Recent years have been abstract musing between us of what-to-do. But, at the precipice of thirty they have gone from y a plus qu’à to are. A full bold silent seizing. To the highly analyzing earlier versions this is as radical as a revolution. The answer to what-to-do seemingly hidden in the question. Before long we return from the airport, and I spend the next days living this life as well.
I find another friend from high school and I spend time in his life as well. We spend time walking his dog and exploring the city. We visit another friend who is now a firefighter in the area. We bring him Dairy Queen as good mid-westerners do.
My voyage of life-voyeurism brings me to sitting in the back of the ambulance chatting about high school. I am fitted with a gas mask and oxygen tank and practice using the jaws-of-life. You could say we picked different lines of work.
A few days later and I am off from Denver. I catch the train to Salt Lake City, a highly impractical way of traveling in the States, but when you’re this unemployed it’s the perfect way. The train was late leaving Denver and seemingly starts by going the wrong direction. It pulls out of the station heading East and turns imperceptibly towards the mountains. After double checking that this is indeed the train West we start to climb out of the Plains. The train passes through canyons where even the roads do not go. It’s a beautifully scenic trip, and thankfully so there’s 13 hours until we get to Salt Lake.
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