I arrived at Tom's house an hour late, or so I thought. In reality, my mom had screwed up the days so I was in fact about 23 hours early for Tom's pot-luck. No matter. He was in the midst of leaving for a run so I joined him on a trot around the Ithaca High School athletic fields while his 2nd grade daughter played in the middle of them. This was followed by a trip to the Moosewood and another trip to Wegmans. (By the way, though Syracuse has Wegmans, the Ithaca Wegmans is still my fave by far.)
By the time we got back to Tom's it was getting late, so I basically invited myself to sleep in his son's room who was away to summer camp. Waking up this morning, I ran in Sapsucker Woods and down around Beebe Lake. The trails are the big reason I'm making the statement of superiority. That, and of course the homicide rate.
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When you start your journey to Ithaka, pray the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Cyclopes or the angry Poseiden.
You will never meet such as these on your path
if your thoughts remain lofty,
if a fine emotion touches your body and your spirit.
You will never meet these monsters if you do not carry them in your soul,
if your soul does not raise them up before you.
Then pray that the road is long.
Pray that the summer mornings are many,
that you enter ports seen for the first time with such pleasure,
with such joy!
Stop at Phoenician markets and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
pleasurable perfumes of all kinds,
as many as you can;
visit hosts of cities
to learn and learn from those who have knowledge.
Always keep Ithaka fixed in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry your voyage at all.
It is better that it take many years;
even to anchor at the isle when you are old,
rich with all you have gained along the way,
not expecting that Ithaka will offer you riches.
It is Ithaka that has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have taken the path.
But she has nothing more to give you.
And if when you return you find her poor,
Ithaka has not defrauded you.
With great wisdom you have gained,
with so much experience,
you must surely have understood by then what Ithakas mean.
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Cyclopes or the angry Poseiden.
You will never meet such as these on your path
if your thoughts remain lofty,
if a fine emotion touches your body and your spirit.
You will never meet these monsters if you do not carry them in your soul,
if your soul does not raise them up before you.
Then pray that the road is long.
Pray that the summer mornings are many,
that you enter ports seen for the first time with such pleasure,
with such joy!
Stop at Phoenician markets and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
pleasurable perfumes of all kinds,
as many as you can;
visit hosts of cities
to learn and learn from those who have knowledge.
Always keep Ithaka fixed in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry your voyage at all.
It is better that it take many years;
even to anchor at the isle when you are old,
rich with all you have gained along the way,
not expecting that Ithaka will offer you riches.
It is Ithaka that has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have taken the path.
But she has nothing more to give you.
And if when you return you find her poor,
Ithaka has not defrauded you.
With great wisdom you have gained,
with so much experience,
you must surely have understood by then what Ithakas mean.
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