DWP #20: ROAD {10.2.17}

Highway 45 is a north/south highway that runs 1,300 miles from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico.

I grew up in Mundelein, Illinois, just about a half mile from Highway 45. We would take 45 to get to most places in town -- the grocery store, the dentist, the gas station and the mall. There was barely a day when I didn't travel that road.

In the summer, we would take Highway 45 north to my uncle's cabin in St. Germain, Wisconsin. I remember getting frustrated that it took extra time when we traveled that way, instead of taking the much faster interstate. Traveling north, Highway 45 wove through small towns with stop lights, traffic, and slow speed limits. This was a killer for a kid who just wanted to get to the cabin to go swimming.

I have my own home now and find it interesting that again, I find myself living about a half a mile west of Highway 45.  Again, I take this road to get almost everywhere, every day.

About seven years ago, my sister moved from Wisconsin to Dallas, Texas -- again, within close range of Highway 45. My uncle lives in Houston -- close to Highway 45. My mom recently moved -- quite near to Highway 45.

This one road -- Highway 45 -- runs through the country, but also runs through my life in so many ways.