Meme taken from my sister's journal:

1. Have you ever been on a pilgrimage? (however you choose to define the term) Share a bit about it. If not, what’s your reaction to the idea of pilgrimage?

I kind of view my recent trip to Wamego, Kansas as a bit of a pilgrimage. As soon as my Uncle Ted brought the trip idea up to me, I instantly viewed it as an opportunity to get a spacial representation of "family." I've always really felt close to my family on the Fulmer side, but I had never really had the opportunity to delve much into the Fulmer history.

We often forget how much our individual locations shape the people we become. The second I stepped out of the car and walked around the streets of Wamego, it's like the Fulmer family made so much sense to me. I had a similar reaction when I walked around Denver and dad's old stomping grounds. It's like a light went off in my head and I suddenly saw the mathematics of it all. You can see how the story all adds up. The Fulmers were the Fulmers because of their experiences, and their experiences were shaped by where they grow up.

2. Share a place you’ve always wanted to visit on pilgrimage.

I have a dream that some day Luke and I will take motorcycles through the United States, hopefully on a similar path as one of the paths we took with Dad. That for me would be its own form of a pilgrimage. As Luke recently remarked on his journal, you don't know how centering a good motorcycle ride can be until you feel the breeze wash away your daily concerns...and that's just a city ride. When you take a cross country motorcycle ride, multiply that feeling by 10.

I excluded my other siblings on this since I don't see motorcycles in the future for any of my sisters. But I also think it'd be fun to make another family trip somewhere.

3. What would you make sure to pack in your suitcase or backpack to make the pilgrimage more meaningful? Or does “stuff” just distract from the experience?

If I went on a motorcycle ride across the country, the only thing I'd be would be a pen and a notepad to jot down notes. And I'd bring a huge ass map that I could use to map out where I've been and where I'm headed.

4. If you could make a pilgrimage with someone (living, dead or fictional) as your guide, who would it be?

I've already said Luke, but I would also love to make a pilgrimage to Europe to really see where it all began. And if I did that, I'd love to go with my all of my grandparents.

5. Eventually the pilgrim must return home, but can you suggest any strategies for keeping that deep “mountaintop” perspective in the midst of everyday life?

Hmm. That's a toughie. Like most things, I'd fear that my "mountaintop" experience would wash away into the everyday mundane aspects of daily life. So I'd recommend the occasional meditative process to mentally and emotionally put yourself back into the pilgrimage.

If practical, I'd recommend making another pilgrimage at some point in the future, but do so with additional people. Someday, I'm sure I'll take my own family to Wamego and Denver. Heck, maybe I'll even be lucky enough to do it on a motorcycle.

-Matt