At first, "19 min read" - and my denied instinct to scan, the voice of productivity on someone else's metrics, came rushing up. Then the overseas connection - I felt the same anger, first in England, then in Asia. I grew up an hour from you in Erie. I nodded at every damn line for the full 19 mins - except maybe the Bush voter quip and a few other only-you complexities outside of my interface.

But I came back years ago. I doubled down on New Mexico. I rediscovered, found, find truth in people. I swallow lies and digest them with gut meditation, knowing full context, impact, reality is coming and I can be a part of it. I have found purpose. And it is because of the insane, undeniable American experience, stripped of its mythology on the road.

Well done - the balance between vulnerability, personalization, rant, preach is a Venn diagram with a tiny bullseye. Imperfections along the way give the sharpness froth.