Thoughts of Brianna

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Thoughts on this background

I was looking back over an older post, and I thought, "Wow. The blog background is kind of...sparse."

I originally had a really cool one with old suitcases in dark greens and maroons, but I was told it was hard to read. I decided on the current one, feeling it reflected the theme of journeys and travel that I would hopefully continue with.

For a moment just now, I felt as if it was too dry, that the patches of desert you see on either side of the text would only make you think of exhausting heat, deceptive mirages, and cars breaking down on the side of the road.

Then I thought of why I liked the picture in the first place.

First, that blue sky. I know not everyone feels the same way, but I love the sight of a pure blue sky. Photographers will say that they need more clouds, but I love the way the sky contrasts with everything else, especially on a fall day. Then all the oranges and browns of the trees stand out. Same thing with this desert--that dusty road has an incredible backdrop.


Second, the road. I think it was Cervantes that said, "The road is always better than the inn." Not necessarily true, I can think of times when I was pretty glad to be out of a plane, escaping from a car, or off my feet, and sinking into a hotel bed. However, there are moments when I understand what he means. Being on the road means leaving behind what you know, and heading towards something that waits to be discovered. When you're on the road you can speed by the countryside, letting telephone poles, landscape and cars all blur together--or you can take it slow, stopping at any place that looks interesting.


If I had to pick a favorite road I walked on, it would be the Via Appia, the ancient Roman road that links southern Italy to Rome. Although it's lined by ruins, I truly felt that this road lived, in that it connected us modern journeyers with the Romans who walked it, and those who will live after us. The ruts carved by the chariot wheels allow our feet to pass just as easily, and the birds and sheep who thrive in the fields are just as startled by our approach. I can't say if I felt all this back then, but now I see that road as the one that writers always talk about, the one everyone travels, the path that leads to the Eternal City.



Sounds dramatic, I know, but I think you'll have to agree that a road can be exciting, whether you know where it leads or not. There's so much to see along the way! I'll let one of my favorite poets, Tennyson, say it best: "Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough / Gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades / Forever and forever when I move."

Wow. We're always going to want to see more, and no matter how far we go on this earth, there's always going to be a horizon just ahead. Come to think of it, maybe Johnny Depp says it best:

 
Er, 0:20 was what I was talking about. But um, Hans Zimmer music.

Anyway, let the background contrast with the dusty road of my writing. Hopefully my humble offerings will entertain you along the way. (And yes, I know I didn't mention Tolkien. You know that one by heart, right?)

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