The new-to-me car is registered. The air conditioning works, but one of my headlights isn’t working right, so I’ll travel in the daylight. Luckily, it’s summer, and the first leg of my trip is short, so I won’t need my headlights today.
I’ve learned that, on long trips, I’m more likely to reach my first day’s destination if it is close, so today, I am just taking a quick trip down the road from my current hometown of Seattle to my family’s home, under 200 miles away, just a few miles south of Portland, Oregon.
On long trips, I love a good story to keep me company, and I have a podcast queued up and ready to go – a documentary-style science fiction story that makes the time on the I-5 fly by.
At the end of my short journey, I am welcomed by my family. As the night goes on, the family goes to bed, and I follow their lead. Curling up in a child’s bed, eyes focused on a decorative glass nightlight, my thoughts turn to the miles ahead of me. Before I return home, I will have traveled over 5,000 miles through 14 states. Tonight though, home is still just a few miles down the road. Tonight, my journey is just beginning. Tonight, I dream about the future.
Evergreen trees and blackberry bushes 
Human trafficking sign 
Night light