The drive between Texarkana and Houston is considerably more peaceful than the one between Dallas and Houston; at least as I remember the latter journey. Although several years have passed since I my most recent trip from Dallas to Houston, I remember it as crowded and chaotic, with occasional more serene stretches. I can only imagine the traffic on I-45 has grown even heavier and more stressful since the last time I made the trip. The road construction between Texarkana and Houston, though—Highway 59—promises a future with more cars, fewer wildflowers, less space between vehicles, and even greater speed. When the transition from what is now Highway 59 to what will be Interstate 69 is finished, drivers can expect much denser commercial activity and fewer opportunities to enjoy long stretches of relatively empty land. Progress. The untold billions spent to upgrade roads, which encourages more traffic, inspires more commercial development spread over wider and wider areas. With that growing development, the grief that accompanies human density expands along with it. The money spent on highways would be better spent on high-speed intercity transit, significantly upgraded intra-urban transportation systems, and encouraging greater population density in cities (thereby reducing urban sprawl). That’s my opinion, of course. And I think it’s the right opinion to hold! There have been many times over the years—beginning when I was taking college sociology classes and continuing ever since—that I have wished I had pursued a career in regional planning. (If I had pursued all my career interests, I would still be in school, going for my umpteenth advanced degree.) If only…I could have made a difference, perhaps.
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My little cup of espresso is empty for the second time this morning. Time flew by after I woke just before 4:00 a.m. (but quickly went back to sleep). More than two hours later…nearly three… I finally got out of bed to feed the howling cat whose bowl was empty. Against my better judgment and against promises I made to my self, I then scanned the news. That mistake dimmed the brilliance of the bright blue sky outside my windows. After silently bemoaning unchecked population growth and its concomitant density, I recorded my thoughts on the matter. And then I looked at the sky again. I decided I would not let my depressed view of the world get in the way of my enjoyment of the almost hidden brilliant blue sky and the fresh, bright green of the leaves that nearly fill my line of sight, but allow enough of the sky through to boost my mood. Yes, that’s an overly-long sentence. So is a sentence of nine lifetimes without parole. But that comparison is nonsensical, isn’t it?
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Tomorrow, I will start a new chemo regimen with two drugs meant to slow the growth of cancer cells. Earlier drugs were intended to kill such cells. I’ll have to ask my oncologist about that not-so-subtle difference. If these new drugs have similar side-effects as the earlier ones, they will exacerbate my fatigue, cause various other unpleasant side-effects, and generally suppress my normally good mood for awhile. But a whole new papaya awaits me, so eating that may overwhelm the mood suppression. And now that I can again take a drug that battles heartburn/GERD, I can use lime juice to enhance papaya’s already wonderful flavor. I am a lucky man, indeed!
