day 66: Mario lemieux's number, also great breakfast

What a state of enrichment I am living in.  Not being impoverished in any state of being is truly a state of being I like being.  Appreciation is the key to ascention.  And in this state, Louisiana and enriched, I can say I am the happiest I've been in a long long time.  At the same time, with only 230 miles to go, I am kinda sad.  I hope I can carry over all the things the river has taught me into the world that most other people live in.  I would say my biggest fear is getting caught up too much in trivial bull crap  and forgetting how to appreciate everything.  Because I am literally thankful for things I don't have, is how thankful I am.  I am thankful beyond belief that the sun has been shining.  I am thankful beyond belief to have one day a week I can charge my phone and possibly eat something other than ramon and beef jerky.  I can go two weeks or maybe even years without charging my phone and eating casino buffets or drinking  coffee.  I think the point I'm getting at is that it took being on the river this long to realize I enjoy part of everyday life and it's conveniences.  Whereas before I was somewhat bitter.  I think going back to normal life will help me appreciate the river even more, and back and forth the appreciation goes.  I think seeing both sides of life, one of plenty and one of scarcity, helps me to think about new cocepts, which helps me grow, and in turn I can hopefully share with others.  It's too much to describe in words on a blog, but maybe I'll make a coffee table book out of this journey one day.

Anyway,we got into Natchez late last night and slept under a casino pier. Security stopped me on the way back from charging my phone and asked where I was going.  I said I was going to bed and I've been traveling all day and didn't want to be bothered.  He said wait there sonny  boy.  The manager came over and asked the same thing but was way cooler about the situation.  He just said, 'you ain't afraid of snakes?'  I said 'ya but I doesn't keep me up a night' .  So it all worked out.

Natchez is awsome, beautiful, and very vibrant.  The have an overlook of the river, which is weird because I thought it was all flat down south, apparently  not.  Obi-Wan aka erik recommended a coffee shop to get some real food.  Good call Obi-Wan.  Insanely good coffee, they had.  I picked a 'little richard' omelet, bomb.  Cheese, egg, bacon omelet with a side of cheese grits, and a pancake with syrup.  Heavenly it was.  Galactical  it will be.

But that was the highlight of the week other than the 4 free beers I got from the casino the might before.

We somehow got close to 40 miles today after getting a late start.  Obi-Wan called out the word of the day early, "enrichment".  Wow, great word to describe a lot of things, including how this trip has made me feel.  I realized when I started this trip I didn't have a sure reason for going, I just knew that's what my gut told me to do, so I followed it.  Someone asked me before I left why I wanted to go and replied 'because I want time to think',  to which they responded, 'think about what?' They asked with an attitude... to which I relied 'I don't know, I haven't had time to think about what I want to think about'.  And I truly felt that way for a long time.  I felt like everyday life wasn't giving me space, or time to just be, and to think, and to relax, and realize that it's all good.  This trip has allowed me think about all the hobbies and projects and goals I've put on the back burners for years, and allowed me to finally complete a lot of my thoughts.  It allowed me to complete my thoughts about what I wanted to thing about.  This trip has given me closure to the things that needed closure, and allowed me to realize my full potential.   And right as I'm writing this, and was about to write how I'm ready for the world I am, I was rudely reminded how NOT ready I am.  A big animal just ran past our camp, I shined a light and saw eyes of something big, might have been a wild bore, or wolf, or coyote.

But I am ready to take on bigger challenges, even a wild bore.