reflections from somewhere in the middle of a road trip

on how a label can become a way forward

I arrived early, hoping to have a few quiet moments in the gardens before the crowds. Others had the same idea, but we were a small group and well-behaved. At exactly 8 a.m., the guard scanned my ticket and I entered the park. I had 79 acres and seven million flower bulbs at Keukenhof Gardens to myself, or so it seemed. Leaving my camera, phone, and map tucked in my bag, I spent that precious first hour strolling along the paths, aimlessly wandering through this land of color

on trust, trouble, and the joy of being driven