the crosstown, performance art, and journey

Interchange work on the Tampa Crosstown

When it comes to what fascinates me, sometimes I surprise myself. Maybe its all this conversation about art, and my increasingly open spirit, but yesterday, driving through Tampa for a meeting, I found myself drawn to the beauty of steel and concrete!

(If you read any of my posts from the Great Smoky Mountains last month, and our God-saturated immersion in restoration, and the refreshment of nature, then you will understand why this has caught me off-guard!)

Driving to Tampa around 8:30 am

PERFORMANCE ART: The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, which always has something going on, is in the process of being connected to the Interstate Highway, barely a mile to the north. It’s been a seemingly interminable project (aren’t they always?), but at the same time it’s a huge piece of performance art.

Maybe I like it more now than I will when it’s finished because at this stage the steel and concrete is almost organic. Or at least it tells a story that is constantly in motion. I guess it appeals to my “Life as Journey” credo.

SEIZE THE DAY: Personally, I feel an urgency to keep my journey moving forward. Sometimes that means a relaxed hike along an overgrown, barely visible trail through old-growth forest. And sometimes it means calling out the heavy equipment, bringing all available resources to bear, and building a connector to the 12-lane super-highway that’s just begging to be travelled.

Downtown Tampa from the stoplight

Even the city spoke poetically to my spirit yesterday. Strong lines moving up toward the heavens. Bright, reflective surfaces. Geometric certainty.

One stoplight at a time. Inching forward sometimes. But always progress. If you turn your engine off and refuse to move, then it’s not long before you get towed off the road.

Life is a highway

Then another said, “I’m ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home.” Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.” (Luke 9: 61-62 – The Message)

One step at a time – DEREK