Migration is always an issue of space

This went out to the masses tonight. It's my big news of the day.

Dear Friends,

In Salem, West Virginia, it is illegal to leave home without knowing where you are going.

This, according to “Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader,” is a law that is a bit loony. Indeed, I’m not sure how the town would regulate that ordinance. Does the Sheriff check everyone’s GPS systems? Circles drawn on the map? Shopping list?
No matter. I’m sure in a small town, everyone is up on everyone’s business, so it’s quite easy to know where people are off to in the middle of the night, or for a “long weekend.”
(By the way, if you have never had the pleasure of reading any of the “Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers,” I highly recommend you do so. It is one of the sources where I have learned the most lessons about life, in addition to the Bible and the Bold and the Beautiful.)

It does bring up an interesting scenario: what if you were required by law to know where you are going? In all decisions big and small, from RiteAid to the wedding chapel, you had to have the direction set before you launched, so to say. Not only did you have to have direction, but you had to have directions: addresses, numbers, account balances, car miles, metro tickets, words of wisdom, dotted lines, signatures and goodbyes. All the little dots that we connect consciously and flippantly that move us along in the line/circle/rhombus we live on a daily basis.

Logically speaking, it makes perfect sense. You take the good and take the bad, mash them up, pick them out of a hat, weigh the pros and the cons, talk to loved ones, converse with strangers and make a decision. With enforcement looking over your shoulder, it is rest assured that the decision will be well thought out and executed.

But what about “those” decisions? You know what I’m talking about: the ones that are solely and comprehensively based on an inkling. Not even a full feeling, but an inkling. The flutter of the heart when she walks in the room or the raised eyebrow at hearing about a job opportunity. How your hands get clammy and you unconsciously take a step back, then two steps forward. Those decisions. Surely the law or any other logical system can’t truly account for those.

What about those decisions that seem almost primal, like the urge to migrate? We still do migrate; move to warmer temperatures, move for better changes or move to flee crisis. More than anything cultural or political, it is almost inherent in every human being to move if the times and life calls for it. While we are always moving, the question is often of what and where and who and why are we moving towards.

Well dear friends, I bring this up because this process has been on my brain for a long time. I saw an exhibit at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach that dealt with migration. One of the pieces included several photos of shoes, compasses, pencils, food and memories that were left behind. It was called Migration is always an issue of space. That’s so true. New space, open space, expanding space: isn’t that what people want? Well, I know that it’s what I’m looking for.

So, I’m migrating again. I’m not going to Salem, West Virginia, but rather Washington, D.C. I’m leaving Los Angeles on February 27 and setting up shop in the nation’s capitol.

I bring up directions because I don’t have a whole lot of those right now (less is more and more costs more, right?), but I do feel I have the inkling. My past travels have enlightened me on how to deal with cows, but I now look forward to the new challenge of dealing with jackasses (cue your favorite rim shot here). Wow, that was a really bad joke. I’ll blame learning life lessons while reading in the bathroom for that one.

So, the adventure continues. A new space, new place, new faces and a new administration to anticipate. The email addresses and phone number are still the same and once things get more solidified, I’ll update y’all. As always, I am deeply thankful and grateful to you for your friendship and kindness.

In the meantime, if you can’t get enough of all things Plunk, here are some extra dishes I’ve baked up:

Stuff for the Norman Lear Center:
http://blog.learcenter.org/2007/10/radioheads_tip_jar.html#more
http://blog.learcenter.org/2007/08/u2charist.html#more

Stuff for Four Story:
http://www.fourstory.org/pages/stories/091-plunkett-lakewood.htm
http://www.fourstory.org/pages/stories/079-plunkett-bellflower.htm

For the fans of Donald Miller and “Blue Like Jazz,” his cohorts created the Burnside Writers Collective and they finally ran my article:
http://www.burnsidewriterscollective.com/social/2008/02/discriminating_tastes.php

And as always, the M.A.Y.A. Years:
themayayears.blogspot.com

I’ll be blogging from M.A.Y.A., plus I’ll be doing more articles for Four Story on development in D.C., plus I’ve got a bunch more stuff in the works, so check it out.


Truly yours,
Mike