Launched at Last

His business card reads, "Lance Stiehl ("Steel") Chief Executive Wanderer and Wisdom Seeker" printed on a grey picture of two cars at a fork in the road. His blog address (aforkintheroad-scout.blogsport.com) and email account (Lancestiehl@gmail.com) are in script at the bottom and his three questions are neatly listed on the back. (1.If you only had one day in this town, what should you be sure to do? 2.Where can I find LIVE music tonight? 3.What is the secret to happiness in one's golden years (60+)? His intention was to give these to waitresses, hotel clerks, fellow diners...whoever looks like they have answers from which Lance can learn. He had spent months preparing and anticipating everything that could go wrong when you're on the road, alone, for a month.

So, it was a real surprise to him that tears welled up in his eyes and his voice choked when he finally spoke the words "I love you" as he said goodbye to wife and four children. What kind of Indiana-Jones-Chief-Executive-Wanderer, setting out to see the world, didn't see that one coming? Know thyself had begun.

Grabbing the reins of the hybrid Prius at last, he headed north on 270, then into Pennsylvania on Interstate 70, stopping at the Visitors Center where a kindly lady immediately grasped his trip concept and directed him to three very green, very small town,accessible by blue highways. Her route would take him straight north until he runs into Lake Erie, if he stays that course (and he may not!) His next lesson was that stops will not be defined by gas milage (Prius? Ha! At 44+ mpg he laughs at the gas gauge!) but by renal capacity (No laughter.) Around 1 PM, arriving in Huntington PA ("5th Best Small Town in America"), the iconic Miller's Diner awaited with an elderly waitress who unknowingly inaugurated Lance's 3 questions (heretoafter referred to only by #. See above for refresher.):

#1. "You must go to Raystown Lake and dam", a 47 mile long manmade lake for flood control surrounded by mountains.
#2. "I don't know of any LIVE music 'round here but sometimes they have some at the Lake Amphitheater." (not tonight, tho)
#3. "I'll never retire, my husband and me are building a Bed and Breakfast 'cause I just love being around people."

And so, Lance spent the afternoon at Raystown Lake, watching the families (ALL WHITE), dogs and boats clinging to the waning hours of the Fourth of July weekend with an air of resignation and exhaustion. If this was America, it was fat, sunburned, sittin a burning'"g silently but alone in groups and looking...well.. bored. Lance's mind wandered to the first day in his memory when he wasn't recognized, had no job to do, couldn't be late for anything and had no idea what he would do next. This was a new world for Lance, and every bit as exciting, challenging and surprising as any day he had ever lived. But there were new skills required.

Meeting total strangers, without the context of work or home, is an art. It must look natural, seamlessly merge with human traffic, leave an elegant exit open at all times and both seek and give value for the time spent. Ironically, real listening may be the best gift one can give to others. Like the lady in the diner, we all have our dreams, and want to talk about them if we feel safe, sometimes even to strangers if they have first shared something with us beyond "Hello."

Lance knew that "Strangers on the Greyhound Bus" are often the safest ones to talk to about high value thoughts since the odds of every seeing them again are zero. So, what could Lance share that would engage others smoothly, open them to his 3 questions, and verbally demonstrate the "open hand" of a verbal handshake (See? No weapon here!") In his other life, it would be arts, politics, workshops or budget. None of that works here.

Lance walked the town, ate pizza and went to the restored movie theatre for Day and Knight with Tom Cruise. His Comfort Inn was well clean, abundantly air-conditioned, came with in-house breakfast where he could blog on their internet connection, and was on the road out of town he needed. He made a mental note to get gallon size baggies, a dirty laundry bag, kleenex and some pens.

"Daylight's a burnin" thought Lance as he mounted his steed called Prius. "miles to go before I sleep...wish I'd written that, he thought." Maybe he could, now.