Tonnes of tunnels
Get out your spade
12 parts - phew. Tunnels of fun; Old tunnels… of sorts; Sex tunnels; Walking tunnels; Driving tunnels; Hedges and Bobsleds; Tunnel vision; Life tunnels; Tunnels to the future; Political tunnels; Tunnel digging advice and finally; Tunnels in the sky
I’ve been thinking about tunnels and what they mean on my current adventure. They represent a certain sense of inevitability. Generally once you start down the path of a tunnel you’re stuck until you’ve come out the other side. It’s an initial decision that carries with it a certain momentum. A decision sometimes based on faith, sometimes on logic and sometimes on the whim of a moment. A decision with a journey that is both exciting and sometimes scary or disruptive. Sometimes the tunnel might be so long that it is filled with doubt. Where will I come out? Will it collapse? What if my car dies mid tunnel. What if there’s an accident ahead, will I be able to back out or turn around? Can I ever change my mind?
Then there are different types of tunnels. Perhaps there are branches that you might be able to turn onto - if you have the time and foresight. But those branches could be easy to miss and might be gone before you even notice them… or perhaps you never even see them because you are so focused on where you think you need to go.
Before I proceed with my philosophical tunnel breakdown I should mention that I don’t like backing up. Once I’ve started down a road in a car or on a path in life I prefer to go forward and see where it goes rather than back up and go a different way. If you’ve read my last post you may now realize how big a deal it was for me to recognize that on my journeys on the footpaths here in Shropshire that I may indeed have to stop, turn around, and go back. I can be quite stubborn. I will endure a lot of thorns and nettles before I am willing to turn around. Sometimes it is detrimental to my health.
Tunnels of Fun
When the first home computers came out TK got a Texas Instruments 99-4a (I think?). They then got TUNNELS OF DOOM. We would sit and play for what seemed like hours fighting a variety of monsters and finding treasures. The graphics were horrible but we had imaginations…and really, 64 bit is not much different, visually, from playing with legos. We did that a lot too.
Tunnels? Well, really it was a maze. A giant maze.
Old Tunnels… of sorts
Gateway to Ludlow. The only one that remains of the original 7 that existed back in medieval times. Once you head down this path you’d be at the mercy of the guards. Would they let you through? If they did, what if the portcullis did come down. How long would you be stuck inside?
Sex Tunnels…
Well, enough said really. Ever see those old movies that show a train entering a tunnel on the side of a mountain after a romantic interaction between the two main characters? Yup. That’s a sex tunnel for sure. OOO la la.
Walking Tunnels
On my trip here I had a layover in LAX. I had the longest walk imaginable from my small plane gate to the international terminal. It involved at least two tunnels. They felt like dingy alleys that ran between and below the fancy shops next to the gates. Then, to pop out in the international, snazzy terminal with the giant vertical screen showing fake buildings and clock towers and other things was particularly stunning.
T&S K took me on this in Washington. I think we did the full length of the cave, 2.5 miles. I remember getting to the end and being able to look up and see light, but not being able to climb out. We had to go back the way we came. I don’t remember when it was. I don’t remember who else went. I just remember the long, somewhat straight path down this mostly smooth, no branches, no intersections, cave. I remember feeling small and insignificant compared to the weight of the world above me. There was one part that we had to duck and crawl through. Very disconcerting.
Oly Railroad tunnel
When we were young runners TK and I would sometimes go adventuring in town. TK one day suggested we run the train tunnel. I really don’t know how good an idea this was, still. Was the train still running? I don’t know. Anyway, we worked our way down through the Old Oly brewery grounds and over to the tunnel. I remember looking down the tunnel and wondering what we would do if a train were to come along. Is there space to the side? Would we have to run back at top speed and hope we didn’t trip? Thankfully we didn’t have to find out. I do remember the sense of excitement as we entered and then eventually magically appeared on the other side on a road that would have taken miles to get to.
Trail tunnels.
I love it when you’re on a trail or road and the vegetation totally encloses your path. A tunnel of living. When you enter, you can just breathe it in.
Driving Tunnels
There was a tunnel we drove through several times in Hawaii. “Hold your breath!” Short. You can see the other end. Good fun.
In Monterey there’s a tunnel… well, not really. It just goes under the old town Monterey. Kind of silly… and extreme for such a small town. Surely they didn’t have to go under. The half marathon goes through it every year. Otherwise you can’t walk through it. It is fun to run through tunnels.
Seattle Transit tunnel…
Another tunnel I’ve run through is the Seattle Transit tunnel. The race started at the Seattle Center, ran south on the top deck of the Viaduct, cut down by the King dome and then into the transit tunnel for the trip back. 1.3 miles! Got hard to breathe with all those folks exhaling. Note: The viaduct and King Dome both no longer exist.
When I visited Slovenia in 2002 M&M S took me along with their friends to ski in Austria. To get there we had to drive through an enormously long tunnel. I am guessing it was the Karawankentunnel. It’s 8km long… roughly 5 miles for you non metric types. I was in the back of the van with the skis.. feeling somewhat like I was being smuggled somewhere. I did have thoughts that no one really knew where I was, where I was going, or who I was with. Totally at the mercy of M&M S and the driver - who I didn’t really know at all. At about 4 km I started thinking about tunnel collapses and had a feeling of claustrophobia. Incidentally, that day of skiing was an awakening of sorts. All the Austrians were zipping by and yelling at me to get out of the way. Rarely have I felt so incompetent. Sometimes it is good to be humbled. I believe I headed back to the lodge early. I do remember that when everyone else got back they were all proclaiming how wonderful the day was. I believe MS even successfully completed a forward flip. I don’t actually remember the ride back home.
Hedges
No, not really tunnels, but they largely create the same circumstance. The hedges here, in Shropshire, England, where I am writing this, are amazing. They cover the hills and line the roads. They are so pervasive along the roads that from a distance, it looks like there are no roads at all. Just lovely hedges everywhere. While you are on the roads it’s a Tunnels of Doom feeling. You’re just zipping along down a single lane path hoping that you really did take the correct turn at the last intersection (you can’t see anything other than the hedge walls) and that no one comes barrelling down the other way too quickly. Most of the time there is no room to pass each other. Someone has to back up, give way, so that a passing is possible.
Bobsleds
This is my favorite search term. Whenever I am troubleshooting a laptop or computer at school I search for bobsleds to make sure the internet connection is functioning. Partly I like the term because I have never seen an inappropriate image come up accidentally in the search results. VERY important when teaching at a Tk-8 school.
Bobsled runs, in themselves, are a very good example of a non-tunnel tunnel. You get in the sled, you push, you steer a little in very wise ways. Ideally you end up shooting down the tunnel at insane speeds with g-forces holding you sideways and nearly upside down until finally you emerge with tears in your eyes and a massive adrenaline rush…. Well, I’ve not done it, but I imagine that’s what it’s like.
Tunnel Vision.
I am sometimes guilty of tunnel vision. I do become very fixated on tasks and will work diligently to complete them sometimes without noticing other important things that are happening or that should really modify what I am doing. Even writing this post I’ve been single mindedly keeping my eyes open watching for things that are tunnelesque. Some of them are stretches, I know.
Life tunnels
In my life certain decisions have led to long tunnels of circumstance and opportunity. All sorts of life experience rooms along the way. Sometimes alone, sometimes with someone that would share the journey for a while. TK’s and my tunnel paths have intersected for short journeys many times. Marrying Nicolle was my first major paired tunnel journey. That’s how I ended up in Monterey. That’s how I lived a year in Georgia. That’s where I really learned a lot about what I don’t want in life… Katie was another major step that taught me a lot about love and devotion and the weighing of life matters…priorities. Once I determined that she was the priority no matter what, all else fell into place.
Sometimes when on a path it can feel claustrophobic. The lack of choice can be frustrating. Like being on a mining car in an Indiana Jones movie. Once you get in… you’re stuck until it stops. WOoooo! but the reality is, you got in. Deal with it. You can either freak out or enjoy the ride.
Tunnels to the future
I do like the idea of having someone to explore the future paths that lay before me… but how that all plays out remains to be seen. Maybe it will be a few fellow diggers… trudging along together at intervals. Maybe it will be one major player. Lately KS has been the adventure buddy that has kept the tunnel train moving. Keep digging. Keep exploring. Right now I’m in Shropshire. I accepted an invitation. I bought a ticket. I made no other plans and the journey has been fabulous. I did not know enough 2 weeks ago to even begin imagining what I have actually experienced in the last week.
Soon I’ll be in Alaska. Then a new school year will begin. I’ll dig a bit more on my own and keep an eye on my compass and level. We’ll see where the adventure leads. Onward.
Political tunnels
There’s a lot of turmoil and rhetoric around the world right now. It’s easy to think of a political movement as a long long tunnel that is being built as we go. We’re all just moles traveling along as best we can under the ground, forever forward, based on some initial decision we made, some initial path or theory. Our U.S. constitution (which I like), communism, fascism, socialism… tunnels. We know how they start. We then follow the path to its end. If we meet a boulder or rock in our path we turn right or left and go around, hopefully finding the path again and not hitting some tangent… striving forever forward. Currently our country has hit quite a boulder. Some want to go left. Some want to go right. It feels unlikely we’ll find the straight path forward again. The accumulation of power by the shovel owners is very great on both sides and neither wants to give way, even slightly. It has become more about emotional appeals than logic. In the case of the Right there is a great contradiction. The very people that are hurt the most by the economic policies they propose are strongly, emotionally supporting these leaders. They are cheering for a path through soft soil. It is appealing, for sure, but the walls will be weak and the crown of the tunnel will collapse of its own weight. The cost for the trusses (moral and monetary) needed to support such a crown are high and will come out of already empty pockets.
Without some give we will surely sway away on a tangent that could unravel our essence. Giving way is what it will probably take to either go up and over the boulder, or down and under. Not as simple or easy as it should be, to give in just a little. Signs of weakness are pounced on and abused and could lead to being overrun. Pragmatism is not a word of strength in politics. This is sad. In my opinion, listening, understanding and modifying one's own view to meet the needs of others shows far more strength than stubbornness. Yet here we are supporting and cheering on the stubborn mules that refuse to budge an inch. Unfortunately, the poorly supported crown over their heads is carrying our future in the cart behind them.
It bothers me that our world is so polar. It’s like a badly written survey that only provides a limited set of options that does not contain your actual preference. Left/right. Yes/no. Yet our political systems do this all the time. Do you prefer this or that? Dark or Light? Sun or Rain? and with every answer the questions become more severe. Do you prefer a lot of this or a lot of that? Do you prefer pitch black or blazing sun? Do you prefer the desert or the ocean? The options lose their viability but since we got there gradually we feel like they are real options. No they are not. I prefer a little of this and a little of that and no, I don’t care what the brand is - I just want it to taste good/work/be worth the cost and if it is detrimental to the planet and the human race, what in the hell are we doing?
<rant> Sometimes it’s not a matter of the glass and whether it’s half full or half empty, it’s just about the contents - be-damned with the glass itself. Shatter the thing and create a new container. Choose the option that is not so obvious. The option that serves the most in the best way in the long run. Sometimes that won’t be the option that appeals today - but everyone will enjoy the fruits later.</rant>
and finally tunnel digging advice
or… simply… Consider your passengers first as you ride down that tunnel. Are they comfortable? Are their physical needs met now? Will they be okay in a year, in ten years, in one hundred? Consider of course, too, the path with the strongest tunnel walls and most stable crown. As a teacher, these are things I think about for my students every day, every hour, every moment. I am selfish, for sure. After all, I am the one digging the tunnel and need to make sure I can keep digging. I don’t always choose the best ground to dig through, but I know my needs (short and long term) are best met by meeting theirs. Are your leaders really choosing the best path for you? for us? Choose the tunnel you take wisely ~ choose your diggers wisely as well ~ it would be a shame to have the crown of your tunnel collapse.
Tunnels in the sky
It’s hard work, this life business. Digging all the time. The thing about digging and tunnels is that it is three dimensional, like a plane in the sky. Momentum is a law we cannot avoid and sometimes it does take us to unpleasant places but the reality is, our options are usually far more diverse than we ever imagine. If we get too set in our ways and the tunnels we plan, we might just miss the biggest opportunity to dig a new and fabulous path we will ever have.
“Get out your spade” is right. Life is full of tunnels, some that shorten that path to somewhere else and some that dig for the sake of digging. But you won’t know till yo start digging