IN THE MOVIE ROCKY GETS BRUTALLY BEATEN UP BY HIS OPPONENT. THE FILM GOES INTO SLOW MOTION DURING THESE CLIPS SO YOU CAN REALLY EXPERIENCE HIS SUFFERING AT EACH BLOW. FOR EVERY PUNCH THE ENTIRE THEATRE WOULD GASP! WE WOULD HOLD OUR BREATH UNTIL AFTER A STRUGGLE, HE WOULD RISE TO HIS FEET DETERMINED TO STAY IN THE FIGHT. THEY WOULD SHOW HIM WITH PUFFY BLACK EYES AND BLOOD AND SWEAT TRICKLING DOWN THE SIDE OF HIS JAW. ACTUALLY, ROCKY WOULD LOOK A LOT LIKE JESUS CHRIST DURING THE PASSION BEATEN BY THE ROMANS EXXCEPT ROCKY’S LIPS WOULD BE SO SWOLLEN THAT THEY LOOKED LIKE KARDASHIAN LIPS!
THE WORLD TODAY IS LIKE ROCKY. WE ARE BEING PUNCHED WITH HURRICANES, SHOOTINGS, EARTHQUAKES, FIRES AND THE THREAT OF A NUCLEAR WAR! WITH EVERY PUNCH THE WHOLE WORLD GASPS IN UNISON. WE ARE BEING BEATEN UP WITH A WHIRLWIND OF NATURAL DISASTER AND HUMAN DECISION MAKING PUNCHES! WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE NEVER GOING TO GET UP AGAIN. ARE WE GOING INTO AN APOCALYPSE?!! MY MIND WILL GO THERE IF I ALLOW IT.
A FEW WEEKS AGO, I WENT TO VISIT MARFA, TX. THIS ART PILGRIMAGE HAS BEEN ON MY BUCKET LIST. I DECIDED NOT TO WAIT AROUND AND SEE IF SOMEONE WOULD READ MY MIND AND TAKE ME SO I MADE THE PLAN TO GO WITH MY HONEY MYSELF. I LOVE ROAD TRIPS. ROAD TRIPS SERVE AT LEAST TO REMIND US HOW VAST THIS COUNTRY REALLY IS. WE ARE TRICKED THROUGH OUR CONNECTION LINES, CELL PHONES, THE INTERNET, ETC. . . . TO BELIEVE WE ARE ALL NEAR ONE ANOTHER BUT THERE IS VASTNESS BETWEEN US, TOO.
AS WE GOT CLOSER TO MARFA WE WERE TAKEN BY SURPRISE BY A HEAVY RAIN STORM. VISIBILITY WAS ZERO!!!!!! THE RAIN WAS HITTING OUR CAR SO HARD PLUS IT WAS PITCH BLACK OUTSIDE. WE . . . OK . . . I WAS VERY SCARED. I THOUGHT ABOUT THE RECENT HURRICANES AND IMAGES OF THE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THEM RUSHED THROUGH MY MIND. HERE I WAS COMFORTABLE IN MY CAR BUT STILL SCARED. YET, I DID NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT REAL FLOODING, WHETHER MY HOUSE WAS GOING TO BE LOST, THE LOSS OF ALL MY BELONGINGS, BEING IN DANGER. WE HELD OUR BREATH THROUGH THE RAINSTORM. THERE WAS NO OPTION TO TURN AROUND BUT AS FAST AS IT DROPPED, IT STOPPED.
WE ARRIVED TO FAMOUS MARFA AND IT WAS DARK AND CALM. I DON’T KNOW WHAT SURPRISED ME MORE: THAT THE TOWN WAS SO SMALL OR THAT OUR ROOM DID NOT HAVE A SHOWER OR A BATHROOM! WITHOUT REALIZING IT I CHOSE A HOTEL THAT WAS BUILT OF AIR STREAMS (OH MY GOD!)!! I CHOSE THE HOTEL BECAUSE THE NAME WAS APPEALING TO ME (PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING). THE AIR STREAM WE STAYED IN WAS NOT WHAT I WOULD CALL ROUGHING IT BUT IT DID NOT HAVE A BATHROOM OR A SHOWER!! SHOWERING OUTSIDE FELT LIKE BEING IN THE ARMY. I COULD NOT COMPLAIN THOUGH. THE BATHROOM WAS A LUXURIOUS OUTHOUSE! BELIEVE ME, THIS EXPERIENCE WAS NOT CHEAP! MY LUGGAGE THAT CONTAINED MY CLOTHES AND SHOES (HELLO!! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT!?) TOOK UP HALF OF THE AIR STREAM!
I WAS FEELING GUILTY ABOUT TAKING THIS LITTLE TRIP WHILE SUCH TERRIBLE THINGS WERE HAPPENING AROUND US BUT I WAS A GOOD SPORT. I CLICKED MY HEELS AND SAID TO MYSELF, “LET’S ENJOY THIS ADVENTURE AND WE FORGET ALL OF THE TRAGEDY IN THE WORLD, INCLUDING LAS VEGAS.
MARFA IS PRETTY QUIET MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AND THEN IT COMES ALIVE ON THE WEEKENDS. THEY HAVE GOOD RESTAURANTS (THREE!). SOMETHING THAT SURPRISED ME WAS THAT THERE WERE NO TELEVISIONS. TO MY SURPRISE I WAS COMPLETELY FINE WITHOUT TV. WE WERE VERY ISOLATED FROM THE NEWS ABOUT THE WORLD. I DID NOT REALIZE HOW GOOD IT COULD FEEL TO BE UNPLUGGED FROM THE WORLD. WE DID NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE WORLD AND THE WORLD DID NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO US. LIFE GOES ON DESPITE BEING HIT HARD LIKE ROCKY WITH APOCALYPSE TYPE PUNCHES…..
LIFE GOES ON WITH OR WITHOUT US AND STRUGGLES AND HARDSHIPS HAPPEN. SO, FROM NOW ON, I WILL KEEP TRAVELING AND FULFILLING MY BUCKET LIST AND COUNTING MY BLESSINGS.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ME AT GUADA755@OUTLOOK.COM OR VISIT MY BLOG AT J4KICKS.COM AND PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.
GUADALUPE GOLER