See You On The Road, Bob!

I was shocked to hear the news about Bob. It's a sad day, but yet, as he noted, his art is his legacy and it will carry on. And, he seems content with his life and accepting of his fate. It's truly an inspiration to all of us out there, way beyond being Route 66 fans and into how we live our lives.

Bob has spent most of his life trying to get us to think different. By example he has shown us it can be done. And, that there are other ways to live life, other ways to travel through life and other ways to express ourselves outside of material concerns. It's truly an example for all of us to ponder and consider.

From our cozy living rooms and middle class perspectives its often hard for us to understand a man like Bob. How could he escape the trappings of our 'civilized' lifestype and wonder around a beat up strip of road? How could exist on whim, on promise and on hope mixed with endless upbeat optimism? Why couldn't us mere mortals do that? What firewall exists between us and men like Bob?

None. We're all just like him. We're all totally capable of being Bob. It's, as Bob noted in an earlier interview, a choice. A lifestyle dictated by that choice. Made in 1983. His choice when he hit that mythical fork in the road was to turn one way. We all turned the other way. He had his freedom. We have living rooms. He had the open spaces, the endless roadtrip, the wide open existence on that strip of pavement that never ends, only detours or turns around. Our lives are that 'never ending struggle' to maintain what we have, what we want, what we desire. Our freedom isn't freedom as much as it is escape. Bob never escaped. He prospered. We watched, content in our living rooms and with our own choices.

Bob's leaving now on that final road trip. He's content with his life. He's happy to have lived it. He doesn't seem like a guy ready to leave this life. He seems too happy.

That must be what freedom does to a person. We can't understand Bob, I guess, because we can't undestand freedom. As an ex GI, I understand clearly having my freedom taking away from me by the draft board. But even now, years down range from that time, I still don't know real freedom.

Bob does. And he's truly lucky.

I envy him. And as I did when Tom Teague passed on, I say goodbye to a friend from my proud home state who I never knew. Yet, somehow, I've gotten a taste of freedom from them both.

I think we all have.

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