Episode 11: Lo-Fi, Part 2

This is a special episode, because the first part of this story, Lo-Fi Part 1, is actually on my blog, dirtysacred.com. After you listen, head over there and check it out. Feel free to share both the blog and the podcast. Thanks for listening.



By the time I figured out I was a mile or so outside of Frankfort proper, I hadn’t left myself time to walk downtown and meet my friend. I’d gotten up, got Amanda to take me to Greyhound Station before work so I could catch the early bus to Frankfort and walked almost 5 miles… the last bit of it in the wrong direction… to meet a friend so I could make my amends to her.



The reasons I needed to make amends don’t matter here. What I needed to clear from my side of the rode didn’t involve violence or theft. What matter is I was my behavior as an active alcoholic had negatively impacted a friend’s life and it was important that I address that.  What matters to the story is that I was in the state capitol to do Step 9 work and I’d been so focused on it that I stepped west on Louisville Road instead of stepping east because I mistook Lousiville Road for Lawrenceville Road.



For all of my Lo-Fi dreams, I did still have my phone.  As much as I dream about leaving my phone in some bus station somewhere, maybe Kansas City or Amarillo, Texas, being free of The Matrix, the fact is I can’t.  Not quite yet, anyway.  So, looking at the time and knowing I couldn’t make my meeting on foot, and knowing from the fella I met waiting on the bus that it would be at least another hour before that even made the route back around to the nearest point where I could meet it. So I called a taxi.



Frankfort doesn’t have Uber or Lyft, but they DO have some reasonably priced taxi services. It took a little conversation to get the taxi to where I was at. There were streets and a few businesses – a closed down convenience store, a pawn shop two churches, a tearoom, and a real estate office. Absolutely none of those landmarks helped the taxi find me.



I gave the nearest physical address I could and waited. I wasn’t hard to miss, with my crow’s feather, fedora, and my blue rucksack. I’m not the best-looking guy in the world, but I do, I think, I stood out a little, given that no one else was out there on foot. He asked if my car had broken down. No, I said. I was walking in on foot and got turned around. Then he asked, with no small sense of incredulity, if I had the cash.



Yes, said. I’ve heard the incredulity before in other people’s voices.  When you make your way in the world like I do, normal citizens have questions. Some ask. Most don’t. After the cab found me, we passed pleasantries back and forth. He acted as if he’d never been to the section of West Broadway where Kentucky CoffeeTree Café is located, though Frankfort isn’t that big of a town and even less so by car.



But I made it in time to meet my friend make my amends. And while I didn’t get to spend time along the bridge and along the Kentucky River. I love that the river cuts through Frankfort. It’s lovely, and I’ve spent many hours sitting there along the edge of the river near the bridge, staring at the water. It’s the most peaceful spot in a place that, at least lately, has seen so much political drama and outrage.



Thanks again for listing to this episode of a Record of a pair of well-worn traveling boots. Be sure to check out the first part of this story on my blog, at dirtysacred.com, and be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, or Podbean. Check out our previous episodes if you haven't already. I drop a new episode every other Monday. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram... the handle is dirtysacred. Thanks again for listening. And may the road always rise to meet your feet.