š¾ Feeling Philosophical Today
I saw a meme this morning, and it stopped me in my tracks. Now, most memes fall into one of three categories:
- the ones that make me laugh
- the ones that make me mad
- and the ones that donāt deserve a second glance
But this oneā¦ this one hit close to home.
š Why Around Dusty Roads Exists
I named my blog Around Dusty Roads because the roads I grew up on really were dusty. Dirt roads everywhere ā except during mud season or winter, when they turned into icy slipānāslides. Thatās just life in the Adirondacks when youāre a kid.
These days, most of those roads are paved, civilized, and well-behaved. But if you know where to look, you can still find a few honest-to-goodness dirt roads hiding out like old friends.
And that meme made me think of those roads.
š Lifeās Bumpy Roads
Life is full of bumps, potholes, and mud. You donāt get to choose whether they show up ā only how you deal with them when they do.
One of my favorite examples? The day my sister Sandy and I got spectacularly lost in South Dakota.
š¤¦āāļø The Pow Wow That Never Was
We were on a Native American reservation, trying to get to a Pow Wow. We pulled out of the parking lot and immediately went right instead of left.
The road was dirt. It had rained the night before. So we had the perfect combination: dry dust on top, mud and puddles underneath. A real adventure starter kit.
About five minutes in, we both started to suspect we had gone the wrong way. The plains stretched out around us, wide and empty, and that dirt road just kept going. And going. And going.
Sandy muttered, āStupid white women,ā imagining exactly what the guy who gave us directions mustāve thought as he watched us confidently head off in the wrong direction.
And that was it. The tone was set. We laughed ā oh my, did we laugh.
We laughed like hyenas as we splashed through puddles, slid through mud, and barreled down what felt like the Longest Dirt Road in the World. Every mile made it funnier.
We never found the Pow Wow. But when we finally reached a tiny village and a blessedly paved road, we laughed even harder. Sandy wanted to get out and kiss the asphalt.
š A Memory That Sticks
That muddy detour in South Dakota still stands out as one of those unforgettable moments ā not because we were lost, but because we laughed our way through every ridiculous mile.
Life throws mud holes, wrong turns, and endless stretches of uncertainty at all of us. But the journey gets a whole lot lighter when you can find something to smile about while youāre slogging through it.
š² Just Keep Pedaling
So, like the lady in the meme: Deal with the bumps in the road. Keep moving forward. And whatever happensā¦ just keep pedaling.
Ah, the 
A House Pantherās Sixth Year: Drama, Treats, and Tiny Claw Pokes
one āpopā and immediately enter Witness Protection. This yearās barrage was especially bad; youāre still decompressing in your safe zones like a little furry war veteran, tucked into your kitty condos and behind the headboard.
