Mattox and his wife, Pam, on a long motorcycle trip together.

COURTESY | Mickey Mattox

 

SONG: “Whole Lotta Highway” by Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives (2017)

 

Our faith, near as I can tell, teaches us to see our lives as a journey — a road trip. “Whole Lotta Highway” is just that song which, without ever mentioning God or Jesus, seems nevertheless to invoke the journey of faith, and even the dark night of the soul: “I’m out in the middle of nowhere, driving through a night as black as coal. Seen a whole lotta highway, with a million miles to go.” Amen to that.

 

BOOK: “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert Pirsig (1974)

 

I read the book first when I was in my early 20s. I had no idea what it meant, or even what it was about. Pirsig made me want to understand and for that I could see I needed to learn a lot more. I’ve been on that road ever since. Many years later, my wife Pam and I listened to the whole thing on our headsets while touring through Canada and Nova Scotia on a motorcycle. It’s appropriate, since most of the action in the book takes place on a long motorcycle trip. Nobody who writes about long motorcycle trips can be all wrong.

 

MOVIE: “Forrest Gump” (1994)

 

Tom Hanks is mesmerizing as the mentally impaired title character whose simplicity veils an astonishing capacity to redeem the broken people around him, including the maybe best-ever story of black/white friendship in Forrest and Bubba (OK, since Huck Finn and that Jim guy) as well as the beautiful Robin Wright’s haunting portrayal of Jenny. At the same time, the movie offered a ringing affirmation of the goodness of life! Spoiler alert: Forrest saves Jenny in the end with the words: “I’m not a smart man, Jenny. But I know what love is.” He broke her heart, and ours, too.