Tales of Wander

Can you imagine sitting by the side of some dusty road thumbing for a ride for 8 hours or more? Alone with the stars and crows and wind. And then hopping into a car with a complete stranger with no inkling of what lies ahead? Last night I went to a reading by Mark Dean Kneeskern, whose book The Last American Hitch-Hiker, Tales of Wander was recently released. I should say first that I forgot to bring along cash and thus asked Mark if the book was available for order online. He handed me a copy and wrote his address, told me to send the money for the book there. Clearly the road has not left Mark weary, hasn't turned him hard, hasn't extinguished his faith in humanity. He sang, read poems, and told stories of his wanderings. My favorite was when he was in south Texas, white work truck after white work truck passing by without a glance his way--all headed to an oil refinery and thus per company policy wouldn't stop for hitchhikers. It was hot and dusty, his water running low and so he started to give the "I need water please pick me up" sign. And then this--someone who'd seen him while going the opposite way had gone and turned back, bringing him a huge jug of ice cold water. And just like that his faith in humanity was restored. It warms my heart to know there are people in the world like that--people who notice the plight of strangers and actually do something about it. And also people like Mark who live on the fringe, observing the world and capturing its stories. He had this to conclude: there are lots of low points while standing by a road, but just like that your day can change--keep trying and you'll succeed eventually. One just needs a heavy dose of patience.