Twice now I have driven the RX to Virginia.
Both times were definitely at moments of transition, although beyond that I'm not sure that there are very many similarities.
Back in the early summer of 2006 I had the RX because I had to get all of my things out of my dorm room in one trip and it was the only car that could do it. I was dropping out of school and my parents were not very happy with me.
After two years of college I was done. For most of my sophomore year I hadn't wanted to be there, and by the second semester I had pretty much stopped going to classes regularly. The one thing that I had always enjoyed doing, music, had all of the fun sucked out of it. I even went so far as to skip a rehearsal.
The car felt as much a punishment as anything else. It still smelled of new car, the mileage was low enough to remember, and it had very reluctantly been lent to me so that I could get all of my belongings back to Ohio. While my car was freedom to effortlessly get to the top of a mountain and admire the stars, or ride the trails around Damascus, or hike under the moonlight; it was quite clear that the RX was not to be used for any of these things. My last few days in Virginia would be spent wondering what I was going to do next, not playing in the woods.
This last week I had that same car in Virginia. I was living around Damascus now, but I had given up the freedom of my cross bike already and needed the car to get into town. It no longer smells like a new car, the mileage is rounded to the nearest thousand when you ask about it, and it was lent to me quickly and with a joke about not being to rough on it. I used the car to go biking, run into town to check email, carry my stuff around. It was my only mode of transit, and driving it gave me time to think.
This time I'm not wondering what I'm doing next. This time I'm excited. I'm going to move down to Texas and get a job as a mechanic at a really nice bike shop.
I will always love Damascus. The town, the trails, the Adventure have all served me well over these last 3 years. Without it being here I'm not sure I would have come back to school. Without it's distraction I'm not sure I would have made it to graduation. Without it's support I'm not sure I would have wanted to.
Moving on is exciting, but I find it's always good to start by looking back first. It's nice to be able to look back and smile.
