Showing posts with label Noah Pollock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Noah Pollock. Show all posts

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The Fork in the Road

I wrote this for our newsletter. It's a bit more serious than normal, but I feel it deserves a look...

xoxo

            Although our journey across the nation comes to an end, in Tucson in 5 days, our most difficult journey has only just begun. In collecting the information we have collected, in experiencing what we have experienced, we learned to take things for what they are. In examining the trees throughout the forest, and minding not the forest itself, we learned to leave over-analysis behind.

            It was not always so. Pursue the Passion set out to find what makes people passionate. Perhaps youthful arrogance led us to believe ourselves capable of distilling conversations to their passionate roots. The first leg of the trip, through mid-August, we faithfully executed our original plan. As we continued, our insecurity in the project's simplicity grew. In retrospect, to believe that we could meet someone for an hour, cut their passion into a two-minute video, then progress to our next meeting, was a serious overestimation of our own abilities.   

            Dreaming big is always an overestimation. As feelings of doubt in the project mounted, we surveyed more honestly both the task before us, and our own abilities. It was difficult to come to grips with, watching our initial ideal exposed as somewhat frivolous, but we found comfort in several things. We found camaraderie, on the trip, with each other and those we met along the way. We received emails from readers who found genuine inspiration in what we offered. We found an incredible life experience being lived everyday. 

            What we have found is broken monotony. We departed as overly serious, business minded adventurers, and return humbled by our experiences. As a group, we have grown to support and nurture each other in a way none of us have ever known. What we have to offer is an honest interpretation of our travels, without presumptions of conclusions, which can help to avoid, or break, the mundane working existence. There is no singular, universal passion. Rather, there is an open-mindedness, fortitude and confidence shared among all we have found that is passionate. 

Monday, October 15, 2007

Where Does the Time Go?

 

            As I write, we drive from Memphis to Mobile, AL. Memphis was an interesting stop. After leaving the comfort of my old friend Daniel Roberts' home in St. Louis, we found ourselves our first city without any friends. It took all of 12 hours to make some, and we gladly used their shower. Thanks goes out to Kelli Gross and Carley Wright, who do great things for my personal opinion of Christian Brothers University in Memphis.

 

            Jay's father was kind enough to fund a night out on Beale Street, which after Katrina became the busiest street in the southern US. The place was a mess. Needless to say we had a good night. Zach rode a bull. It was really all that could be asked for.

 

            Working backwards, St. Louis was extremely kind to the PTP crew. We frequented a piano bar called Jive N' Wail, and also hit up some local college haunts. Daniel Roberts, who stayed with me some years ago as a member of the St. Louis Macabi contingent, was kind enough to allow us to extend our stay an extra day, which we used as another opportunity to go out. The Arch, by the way, is one of very few national landmarks that truly live up to whatever you may expect of it. It's huge. And shiny.

 

            So off to Mobile we go, down I-55 on an overcast day. We're not sure what to do in Mobile. We met a guy from there and even he couldn't give us more than two suggestions, and one was a coffee shop and the other a pub. If anyone has any advice, let me/us know. 

Where Does the Time Go?

 

            As I write, we drive from Memphis to Mobile, AL. Memphis was an interesting stop. After leaving the comfort of my old friend Daniel Roberts' home in St. Louis, we found ourselves our first city without any friends. It took all of 12 hours to make some, and we gladly used their shower. Thanks goes out to Kelli Gross and Carley Wright, who do great things for my personal opinion of Christian Brothers University in Memphis.

 

            Jay's father was kind enough to fund a night out on Beale Street, which after Katrina became the busiest street in the southern US. The place was a mess. Needless to say we had a good night. Zach rode a bull. It was really all that could be asked for.

 

            Working backwards, St. Louis was extremely kind to the PTP crew. We frequented a piano bar called Jive N' Wail, and also hit up some local college haunts. Daniel Roberts, who stayed with me some years ago as a member of the St. Louis Macabi contingent, was kind enough to allow us to extend our stay an extra day, which we used as another opportunity to go out. The Arch, by the way, is one of very few national landmarks that truly live up to whatever you may expect of it. It's huge. And shiny.

 

            So off to Mobile we go, down I-55 on an overcast day. We're not sure what to do in Mobile. We met a guy from there and even he couldn't give us more than two suggestions, and one was a coffee shop and the other a pub. If anyone has any advice, let me/us know.