A lot of times I feel like CM’s being homeless when he was younger has made our marriage more difficult. However, today wasn’t one of those times. I was ready to shell out $40 plus insurance to rent a car, but he was more enterprising. He just walked up to strangers and asked for help. It freaked me out, but I guess he had done that so many times before when he was homeless. You never know what somebody has been through just by looking at them.

It’s days like this that I really start to think about all that he must have went through when he was homeless. It made him who he is today. One of the things that I really love about him is that he helps me find things that I’ve accidentally thrown in the trash. He has no problem just reaching in and looking for what I’ve lost. It doesn’t matter if it’s our trash can at home or one on the street corner. He’s crazy!

On a more serious note, even here in Mississippi we are seeing that people are still in the process of rebuilding. As we drove through the town we could see the ruins of old buildings that were lost in the hurricane. It looks this bad and it’s been almost 3 years!! I can’t imagine the destruction people faced when they walked out of their shelters right after Katrina hit.

Picture: Midget sat in the front seat next to me while we waited for CM to return with the fuel. Sometimes she just looks so serious.

Diesel is a good example because everyone talks about how diesel is so expensive compared to gas. For me, it is very different. Coming from NYC I am used to paying $4.30 for cheap gas; so to pay $4.70 for diesel (which has been the average down south) is not that bad considering the added fuel economy. Our RV gets 17mpg compared to the 8mpg RVs with regular gas. The only reason I don’t feel it is because of what I am used to.

Bugs are another good example. I never realized how loud they are. Rats, roaches, and ants (which are common to New York) don’t make much noise. Down here there are bugs at night that are really loud. I am not sure if it is locust, crickets, or some unknown, but they are loud. There is plenty of noise in the city, from trains, cars, and pedestrians, but I am used to all that and I don’t pay them much attention. Loud bugs I am not so used to and I notice them much more than I probably should. I am sure over time I will get used to them as well.

So what does this mean to me? Well I wonder how many things I or other people put up with just because they are used to it; some good, some bad. There are so many paths that could be taken in life. How many are taken not because of free will, but are taken because of complacency, or just being used to it?

On a lighter note, all is great and we leave the grandparents tomorrow on our world wind adventure tour. No real plans on where we are stopping first, but I am very excited and can’t wait. I hope this is a great experience for us and our children.