Date: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 05:11:46 -0700 From: Charlie Ford <cford@altamaha.net> To: type2@bigkitty.azaccess.com Subject: Part 1 of 4 or 5...The Gift of the Dream On January 9, 1997 at around 7:00 PM, I set out on the journey that would move my life, to a new place and standing. My "Search for the beginning of Wind" had begun. This experience would be the greatest thing I would do to date. On that night, I set out to meet my deadline; keep my word; and live my dream. I set out to find the answer to the riddle that had plagued me most of my life, and many other men and women that have walked on this earth through the centuries. We all at one time or another have asked, "What is my purpose for living?, Why am I here on this earth?, Why was I born?, and What significance is my life to have, when it comes to the big picture?. The year of 1996 had been a tough one for me. The bill collectors were breathing down my neck. Money had become a major issue in my life and I had fallen into the old "to embarrassed to admit it" syndrome. Embarrassment and fear of confrontation played a part I think. I had left my State of Georgia Commission on National Service position in 95, and the consulting business I had started was only sporadic income, to say the least. Although I was gaining in clientele, the gains were not coming fast enough, and I quickly fell into debt too deep to get out. My life was going to hell in a hat basket. The way I figure it, if you're not in positive emotional shape, you can't fight or go into battle. Great warriors never go into battle when they are not prepared, so I needed to prepare. Somehow, some way I needed to invigorate myself. Each time I would think about all of the problems I would summon the same dream to come and comfort me. That dream was to travel my country. It was just a dream. In an effort to move my mind to a somewhat more creative and positive level, I had purchased a VW bus body from a gentleman for $35.00. This was to be my hobby vehicle, and if I fixed it up good enough, I could sell my car, a 93 Ford Mustang, thereby freeing up a couple more hundred bucks per month that could be applied to getting my head above water. I picked up a local "free rag" sale paper and went straight to the automobile category. I found the VW's for sale in the Atlanta area, and anyone that had a Beetle of Bus for sale, I called each one to see if they might know where I could find an engine and tranny. This one fellow I called, had a 79 Bus for sale and was a little more cordial and a lot more conversational than the others. First he told me that he didn't know where I could find an engine and tranny, but he did know where there was a good 79 bus that I could get pretty cheap. I explained to him that my financial situation was not as kosher as it should be, and that $1000.00 might as well be $100,000.00. He kept trying to sell it to me by saying that he needed the money so he could go back to school. He then mentioned the real conversation starter. He explained that he had just taken a trip around America in it and that he was hating having to sell it. The trip got my attention. I said, "Man, I have wanted to do that all my life. What was it like?". He told me that it was the most marvelous thing he had ever done. He said that of all of the interesting people he met while on the road, the most interesting one was himself. I asked him if he would like to have coffee and talk about it sometime. He said 'yes', we exchanged numbers, and hung up with a promise to give the other a call back to set the date. About three weeks passed. I misplaced the number somewhere and it got lost in the shuffle of papers on my desk. I did my trip to Florida and returned. One day soon after that, I came in and checked my messages. There was one from Zack Arias. He asked that I give him a call back. I wasn't really sure I remembered him. I called him later that evening. The first thing he said after "hello" and the cordials was "Are you the guy I was talking with here a while back that was searching for an engine. I said "yes I was", and asked who he was. He reminded me of the conversation we had about the trip around the US. He asked if I was still interested in having coffee and talking about the trip. I said 'sure', and asked him when he wanted to get together. He asked if the Waffle House on Indian trail would be OK, and would Wednesday night be OK. I confirmed, we talked a few and hung up. I knew that I wouldn't mind talking about his trip, but even more than that I wanted so badly to take my own. I couldn't rid myself of this dream as impractical as it seemed, considering my present financial situation. I would meet with him to at least "listen" so that I could dream more educated dreams. If you can't make reality better, then make your dreams better. On the next Wednesday night I drove to the Waffle House on Indian Trail just off I-85 east of Atlanta. I sat there for about 30 minutes and this guy walked in. He was a young man of about 25, a goatee, glasses, black hair, and he stood about 5 foot 7 inches tall. He introduced himself saying "Hi, I'm Zack Arias". I stood up and introduced myself. We made a little small talk then he commenced to tell me about his trip. He showed me his photos, his scrapbook, and a few of his souvenirs. He iterated the importance of his journey in regards to how he looks at life now. He made it all sound so romantic, so spiritual, so adventurous. I sat and listened and dreamed and told him why I wanted so badly to take my trip. I told him all of the reasons I needed and wanted it so badly. Before we knew it, four hours had passed. We started to wind down the conversation. As we slowed, in my desperate need to deal, I asked him "Zack, have you still got your bus for sale?" He confirmed that he did. I then asked him "What is the least you would take for it". I will never forget his reply. He looked at me with a serious face and said, "Man, you wanna take your trip?" I said "yes, it's either the trip or something to re-invigorate me". He then said "Well, if you want to take your trip, and you WILL take your trip, then why don't you just come to the house Saturday and pick it up." I sat there, looked at him and said " No, Seriously, what is the least you could take", I might could make payments or something". He explained that he was serious, "he wanted to give the Bus to me". He further explained that there would be only two stipulations to the gift. 1. I would have to set my date and take my trip, and 2. The bus would be mine, but if I ever got shed of it, I would have to give it away, I could not sell it. I told him that I could meet both of those demands, He said "Great, the Mothership is yours". I asked one more time if he was sure and he answered, "My plate is full right now, and my trip helped me find my way. Your plate is less full right now, and if I can help you by doing this, I want to do it". I smiled and said I would accept the gift. Now ya'll might think this strange, but on the Wednesday evening prior to the Monday he called, I was sitting at my computer preparing for another workshop. I just couldn't seem to clear my mind of all the clouds. The stress was amazingly strong. Once again the thoughts led to the journey I always had said I would do and had not done. Basically after I turned 40, this would be another failure or promise broken that I could add to the pile with all the rest. On that night, I leaned back in my chair ran my hands through my hair and was almost to tears when I spoke this simple prayer. "Lord....I keep thinking about this trip, and if it is your will that I take it, then please make a way. 'If it is not your will, then please give me the strength to get it off my mind." I also prayed, once again, for the answers and means by which to clear my life of the things that were causing the stress and anguish. On Saturday morning, I got a friend that lived near me to take me to Zacks house. When we arrived Zack was cleaning the Mothership out. Tears rolled off his cheeks as he cleared his gear from the storage holds. It was my first insight into the bond between the Volkswagen Bus and its owner. It was a bond I would come to know very well in the coming year, in my own experience as owner of this Mothership. I drove off from his house in this 1979 Transporter with a custom built camping interior. I was smiling like a mule eating briars through a picket fence. I was grinning ear to ear. Somewhere on that drive I said "Lord, it looks as if you and me and this bus, are going on a trip around America". I know that God gave his answer to my prayer with this bus. I started making the plans. The second miracle came about a month before I headed out. I was driving home one day and got off the interstate at the exit to my home. I applied the brakes and all sorts of funky noises started sounding off. Scrubbing, scraping, screaming, and crunching was what I heard. I let off the brakes and eased back down on them, the sounds repeated themselves as adomately as before. I pulled into the Midas shop at the exit. The guys at the shop put her on the rack and went to inspecting. The rotors were completely gone with deep trenches cut into them. the pads were gone as well. I knew they would last me a little longer, but soon I was going to have to spend the money. The Midas shop, cheats that they are, gave me a price of $350.00. I didn't know any better, so I believed them and drove home really depressed. This little expenditure would set my trip back about two weeks. It looked as though I would have to leave after the age of 40. I got to the house, went inside and checked my e mail, still somewhat depressed from the news I had just heard. The very first e mail that popped up from the server read in the subject line, "FREE SET OF BRAKE ROTORS, 79 BUS". The message read, "First one to reply gets them". I wrote him back saying I wanted them. He wrote me back telling me they were mine. Chris sent them too me, no charge for anything. He explained that one day I could return the favor. God works in mysterious ways. I had set my departure date for January 10, 1997. I would leave by then, no matter how much money I had. On that date I would turn 40. I might not do the 'trip' before I was that age, but dammit I could leave before I was that age. Thanks for tolerating the ramblings. Charlie Ford "79" Transporter, dressed for the road The Mothership The"Turning 40 Nostalgic VW Service Tour, and Search for the Beginning of Wind". http://www.slurpee.net/~keen/charlie/charlie.html "Wider still and wider.....shall thy bounds be set" ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the list, send an UNSUBSCRIBE message to TYPE2-REQUEST@TYPE2.COM -------------------------------------------------------------------------