#ThinkKit11 Day 14: Back Home Again ...

Wednesday, Dec 14: Reconnecting
Where do you go to reconnect with you? Did you experience a place where you found solace?

When this blog topic came up, I had to think about it for a while. Actually, I'm glad I needed to think about it, since I had a 2.5 hr. road trip this afternoon. Where did I find solace? Where do I reconnect with myself? I recognize these questions as completely interpretive, and everyone will have their own interpretation. So as I'm flying low on I-64 East towards the IL/IN border, I think it finally came to me in the form of a question:

Outside of being with my direct family, where is the one place on Earth whereby I am completely and utterly at peace, and that all is right in the world?

To that question, I have a definitive answer: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda - 2009

Now, I can hear many of you sighing at your computer screens: "Gees, another race story. Enough." Well, hold on, cowboys/cowgirls ... Davey's got some brief 'splainin' to do.

Where I grew up in Illinois, all of our television stations were either from Evansville, IN or Terre Haute, IN, so we would have to watch the race at night, rather than live. I can vividly recall watching the 1981 race - where dad drug the TV (and all of its 13 channels of splendid glory) to just inside the dining room so we (or more likely, myself) could watch the race. The next year (1982), my dad took me to the track for the first time. We watched the last day of qualifications, walked along the bleachers, got to go up into the Master Control tower (since he worked at a radio station - Credentials? WHAT credentials?), and had a great time as father & son. I was hooked.

Over the next several years, I lived in several cities in Central Illinois, yet I always was proud of my Indy 500 and IMS passion. In 2002, I received an opportunity - otherwise known as my department was downsizing and it was time for me to move on - to work in Lafayette, IN, which would put me smack-dab between two of my favorite cities in the world, Chicago & Indianapolis. On the day I put in my initial offer on my house, I did a time trial of my own: it would be 72 minutes, one-way, from my driveway to IMS.

I cannot put into words how I felt when I realized a dream of mine was going to come true in 2009. I was going to live in Indianapolis. I know that sounds kooky and all, especially since, to be bold & honest, I didn't know oodles about the city itself, other than IMS and the north-side shopping. From that point on, I've known, perhaps I've always known, that this special place in Speedway, IN was a part of who I am today. Again, to be honest, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about the track. Perhaps one day, when I'm married or have kids, or both, or ... well, let's just stop there ... I won't have time to reflect on IMS, but it's probably going to be a while (on all accounts - even though my parents are still waiting for me to settle down - sorry Mom :). I've now grown quite fond of Indianapolis, but not just for the track. There's too much to mention in this blog entry to begin, but I think it's safe to say IMS was the catalyst.

And each time I walk under the main tunnel off 16th Street, or through the main gate at 16th & Georgetown, there is a noticeable relaxation in my persona. An added hop in my step. A certain twinkle in my eye. It is a connection between myself and my 8-yr-old alter-ego of a soul that screams but a whisper ......

I'm home.