Agathos Dorea

“All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may
be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity, that the dry,
shriveled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut.

~Anne Bronte, taken from her novel, Agnes Gray

Standing on the south end of Main Street, I could feel the loose gravel shift under my boots as I made my way through town. Having grown up in a small community, I’ve experienced that kind of gravel many times before–it’s the kind that gets that way from people hustling to get the hell out. Weighed down with the worst kind of burdens and troubles, the sand gets soft from the constant pressure–almost like sugar–and that makes it even harder to navigate your way the three blocks to the city limits sign. For the persistent, well, I guess they’re the ones who were meant to make it out. The rest? Most likely, they’ll assume the position on some bar stool that already has their name written on it.

But it’s the lesson left behind that’s the real story.

If you want out, you have to be willing to take a chance; the chance of a lifetime. For most, the destination matters not. The only thing that’s real is putting one foot in front of the other and being totally committed to the notion of “anywhere but here.”