Unlikely Pilgrimages

 On the recommendation of two friends, I read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. This British story of a man who sets out, almost by accident, on a 600 mile + walking journey across England in order to reach an old friend/co-worker who is dying of cancer made me think about a movie I had seen many years ago - The Straight Story. The movie is also about a man who sets out on a journey, this one on a John Deere riding mower for over 300 miles from Iowa to Wisconsin, to see his estranged brother who has just suffered a stroke.

This got me to thinking about why I enjoy stories of journeys, and perhaps it is because they are antithetical to the goal-oriented society we inhabit. Certainly Harold Fry and Alvin Straight have an end goal, but the focus of the book and movie is on the journeys and what each character learns and sees along the way.

I think I also like them because I would like to someday take a road trip where I can stop along the way and see things that aren't listed in guidebooks.