Friday Five: Travel

The assignment is to record five places I have visited, and how they impacted me.

1. NYC / Princeton, NJ
   This was my first major trip outside of Okla. Some high school friends were living over a hoagie joint in Princeton, right on the main drag. Gary and I rode the bus, which immediately leaves you sleep-deprived and in a fugue state for several days following.
   
   We visited NYC several times during my stay. This was prior to Guiliani's clean-up, and the two or three blocks around the port authority were both scary and thrilling.
2. Denver, CO
   Two friends Dr. O and I knew in high school got married, and we were flown to Denver to serve as best men. As we drove back & forth between our motel and various destinations, I came to fall in love with Denver's architecture.
   
   I visited the two J's (our friends) twice more over the next decade, and got a chance to tour Denver more thoroughly. Jano took me on a tour, and indulged my desire to pilgrimage to Mother Cabrini's shrine. The other shrine I visited was the Tattered Cover Bookstore.
3. Seattle, WA
   My former spouse was given a presentation at a conference there, and arranged for me to meet her. I ended up being her aide-de-camp, keeping her on time, getting her from airport to hotel & back, and so on. I enjoyed Pike's Market, and was especially impressed by the Lark in the Morning music shop.
4. SW Texas
   I have visited Brother Dave in this area two or three times since 2000. Mainly we visit, compare on family history, share music, and sit in companionable silence. One thing that's remarkable about my visits there is I get a lot of reading done, because they don't normally watch tv, and I chose not to. I think I'm able to maintain this discipline because it's a new environment.
5. Forest of Peace Monestary, Sand Springs, OK
   I have gone on retreat at this Roman Catholic monestary several times. It has adopted an ashram model, and incorporates symbols and texts from world religions (primarily Hindu/Buddhism).
   
   My favorite story from one of my retreats was a time my former wife and I stayed there. We were in the area for the Episcopal Convention, and were using the monestary as a sort of spiritual hotel. We made no secret of the fact that we were not Roman Catholic, even when the priest who would serve communion joined us at dinner.
   
   The Roman Catholic communion is not open; in other words, you may not receive communion unless you are Roman Catholic. While I may not agree with this, it seemed appropriate to respect their tradition. So, on Sunday morning when the priest was distributing the host, I crossed my arms across my chest – a commonly accepted way of indicating you do not wish to receive. When the priest came to me, he leaned close to my ear and said, "Take the host."
   
   I was very moved and honored. This insistence seemed to recognize me as part of that community.
6. Bonus: Where I would like to travel
   Ireland. While my family is more likely from Great Britain, I would much rather be Irish. So – I'm adopting it as my homeland. Hopefully, one day soon I can visit and give you the full report.