Montana, Mountains, and Convenience Casinos

There are some things that are definitely noticeable driving in Montana.  One is the scenery, and I have too few words to adequately describe it, as I've said before; vast, open, with great contrasts in height, color, and vegetation;  I would have to spend weeks knee deep in a thesaurus trying to describe it.

The other noticeable thing in Montana is, that at practically every stop, be it modern plaza or rickety early to mid-1900s general store, there is a casino; and these come in all sizes and shapes as well.  There are casinos that are attached to a Subway sandwich shop, casinos at convenience stors, and standalone buildings flashing "Keno - Poker."

Earlier in the trip I blogged about habits, and mindfully making healthy changes. These "convenience" casinos littered all through Montana are just a blatant example of the barrage we all face daily in trying to make mindful choices.  Montanans (or whatever is the official name for a resident of Montana) may have to resist a little gambling most everywhere they go (and usually alcohol as well since many of these casinos are paired up with liquor stores), but how often are you faced with lottery sales in a convenience store?  Where I live, lottery tickets are available at practically every convenience store and grocery store.  And there are the ads on TV, urging us to buy the sexiest car or the star-endorsed running shoes.  Everywhere we look in modern media we are urged to get more and get it now.  If someone only "moderately" engages in excess they are considered quite contemplative by comparison.  

The media is a huge part of the story here, as it caters to pressures to sell advertising by grabbing larger shares of viewers.  To do this, the mainstream media has bought lock, stock, and barrel into the addictive culture of "more" and "now."  Only the most sensationalized segments are broadcast, and specific human emotions are targeted.  Fear is one of the quickest ways to grab consumer's attention. Those of you who have been in the Emerald Coast area for a while have even seen this with The Weather Channel during hurricane season.  Whenever there is a storm brewing, or getting closer to landfall, you can count on Jim Cantore showing up and (over-)dramatizing the event.  I know I have watched him do this, then walked outside and wondered how his overhyped rhetoric could possibly be about the same part of the country.  Fear sends adrenaline running through our system, and this in turn makes us watch the media for signs of impending danger.  News stations do the same, that is, they capitalize on fear, sensationalizing events to draw us in.  

During the first half of this driving journey, I have had time to disconnect from much of the cacophony of news, weather, and sports.  I've had an opportunity to look within and be mindful of my own thoughts and emotions, but I've also had a chance to look externally.  I've been rewarded with amazing sites and interesting conversation; but most of all, I've been blessed with a keen sense of my connection to this planet and to the others sharing this space and time with me.  It's humbling, and a reminder to myself to be mindful of how I interact, because it makes a difference.  Everything is connected.  And it is this mindfulness that may someday enable me to break my own conditioning to "more and now," one habit at a time.

Travel Log - September 9, 2014 

Departed from Butte, Montana at 11:40 AM Mountain Time

Arrived in Couer d'Alene, Idaho at 3:45 PM Pacific Time

286 miles

Added Idaho to list of states traversed

Goal Wednesday is to reach Seattle, Washington (after my son gets home from work), approximately 315 miles