On the Ride.

It's been a good week since I've ventured out of the neighborhood on my two wheels. Tonight I covered all the usual pavement.

I paid particular attention to smells tonight. I breathed in honeysuckle as I passed through my neighborhood entrance, only to be greeted by the smell of summer grilling on Main Street. Later, as I would wrap back around on my way home, that grilling smell made way to the similar, but slightly varied, bonfire smell, as if to symbolize the fast-approaching presence of autumn in the valley. "Smell" has always been a weird sense to me- how it has the ability to capture a memory, or lure us further into something. Or further away.

As I passed by the old homes on the backstreets, I noticed the height of each home's fencing. Compared to the newer homes in town, the fences of these older homes were shorter, evoking what I felt was a truer sense of community. These days, it's as though we want to keep ourselves gaurded inside our homes. Porches have moved from the front of the house to the back, and fences have been raised higher, blocking out noise, people, etc. It shows how much more willing people were back in the 1700/1800s (yes, these homes go back that far) to welcome others into their homelives. I appreciate this so much and am saddened to think we've become so comfortable with the Tim Taylor/Wilson neighbor interaction. If I ever fence my yard, it will be short. And you can come sit on my front porch and shoot the breeze any day! But no creepers, please.

I also got enjoyment out of the people I saw tonight. There was an old man sitting on his front porch (old home) doing nothing but smiling. He wasn't looking at anything in particular- he just remained fixed in a closed-mouth grin. All the firefighters were sitting outside the firehouse, laughing and enjoying each other's company. I saw an old classmate skateboarding and rode down to the school campus and watched the varsity girl's soccer play in a scrimmage. As a team alumnae, that was thrilling for a few minutes. There were a lot of families out tonight too- most riding bikes actually. And, I saw a kid rollerblading, which immediately made me consider initiating a trade- my bike for his skates.

Anyway, it never ceases to be a refreshing evening in Middletown.

Totally.

six days. and still, only few moments have managed to allure to the next 3 1/2 months.

I regret that the summer months have been lowly, as far as blogging is concerned. But then again, is that not the point of these dog days? That this rare time be given to the mind to slow and regain some sense of dignity- some clarity?

In the past month, possibly inspired by my upcoming trip, I've become re-acquainted with an old learning passion. I've spiraled back in time to World War II, the Holocaust, and all that led up to the Cold War, in first attempts to try and understand these events at a more mature level.

In lieu of these studies, as well as the current Russian/Georgian conflict, I will seek to discover the tick- the tick that makes totalitarian rule so appealing in the eyes of certain individuals. Also, how this dangerous yearning has such evil capabilities, that in turn takes over whole countries, destroys lives, and leaves survivors scarred for generations to come.

The Czech Republic not only endured Nazi occupation, but immediately following, disappeared behind the Iron Curtain for over 40 years until the Velvet Revolution in 1989. And now, the sad opinion remains among many countrymen that times were better under such harsh rule- no unemployment, less crime, a more stable economy. Living here and interacting with these shaken people should hopefully shed light on what I'm trying to discover.

So again I ask, what is this driving force that seduces man, leaving him to desire totalitarian reign? How is it possible that whole nations are fooled by these masked bullies? Is man really that evil- that deep down each has the capabilities displayed by a select few in our world's history? How much is environmental influence and how much is biological? What are we to do with those people who are left bruised by such reign?

May these answers come.