by Travis Mateer

I just wanted something sweet, but the first place I stopped was closed, and so was the second place. Why would they be open? It’s only the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

They must have been closed so that I could experience the stratospheric irony of walking into a fucking wedding store as a newly divorced man on the day he would have been celebrating his 20th wedding anniversary. Thanks, universe, I needed that.

Sometimes I anticipate the needs of others before checking in with myself, but earlier in the day I felt strongly that BOTH City Council, and myself, needed to have a chat about my concerns, and what better place for that one-way chat than the Public Safety Committee, where our Police Chief, Mike Colyer, had to just sit there and listen as I expressed my concerns over the competency of SOME of his public employees.

Here’s the comment:

How many people around America have I told NOT to visit Montana because it isn’t safe? Probably just a few dozen, no biggie. And some of them may not even believe the stuff coming out of my mouth, but then I show them this picture and the reason WHY Sean is smiling next to Salma Hayek (besides the fact he’s next to Salma Hayek), and most people realize, at that point, something bigger than they understand is going on.

This picture, and Sean’s story, got me access to Falling Water, the house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. To really understand why I went there, you’ll need to read the book I’m working on, but the short of it is, it’s a place Sean’s family visited, like they visited the Mennonite communities that surround the town I’m currently staying in.

Not everyone receives Sean’s story, like the Pastor hitting on the French woman at the Red Parasol Cafe, in Philadelphia…Where you get a sip of history. I asked him if he wanted to hear a story, and his curt reply was “I only care about stories that are in the Bible.”

Another group of people who don’t seem to want to help me with this incredible narrative are some of the same people doing interesting work with synchronicities. I’ve even interviewed some of these folks, so it’s more than a little frustrating to have even their meager platforms unavailable for broader dissemination of what I think is happening.

Oh well, their loss. I’ll give the first part of my manuscript to someone else.

I’ve got a few more things to accomplish before I fly back west, then it’s time to really do some thinking about what comes next.

If you’d like to help me out, Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) is one way to do that, and making a donation at my about page is another.

Thanks for reading!