Pinned Tacks in a Map

It was normal for Calhoun Mane to dream of faraway places. He hoped to explore destinations that curiosity kept miles away, yet near to his heart’s desires. Calhoun had heard Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam” hundreds of times. The road had become his home. The seventeen-year-old version of this adolescent feared nothing at first, but the journey ahead brought many risks. Moving around aimlessly left him vulnerable to environments far more extreme than anything he had known. Still, such choices made for an adventurous life, and Calhoun loved not knowing what might come next.

Calhoun ate whenever opportunities arose. A growling stomach had felt normalized ever since he started avoiding family members. His childhood made for a perfect list of don’t-dos. Now he walked on an interstate with racing cars speeding past him. The narrow shoulder was a sincere fear he had that night, and his plan felt predetermined by his lack of direction. Going places usually ended badly because he couldn't read a map and had a misguided understanding of north, south, east, and west. So much extra time on back roads and out amid the wilderness caused Calhoun unnecessary stress. He kept going step after step to draw closer to anywhere other than the places that had worn their welcome.

Hitchhiking had never made Calhoun feel uneasy; a knife with a six-inch blade protected his mindset that if some weirdo tried anything, they would bleed profusely. He never wanted to hurt anyone. Trust issues left much doubt in his conscience about whether good people existed in a country where news outlets continually reported the worst possible conditions. Small towns, mid-sized cities, and metropolitan areas welcomed Calhoun into economic struggles he was not financially prepared for. Sleeping on concrete left him barely rested. The nights felt long, and days shortened by the constant pandering of the unentertained pedestrians. He saw things no one would believe happened in America.

Living as a vagabond on the streets was never a choice for me. I suffered from extreme depression, hidden behind the persona of mimicking others’ personalities. I stuck pins in many destinations over the years as I set out to find an identity. Read “Raising Mother Nature” to experience the growth of an adolescent who needed the interactions of strangers to gain faith in belonging to a community. See where Calhoun landed and the significance of unique places to live.

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