Oklahoma Joe: Self-care is not selfish By: Joe Hight Columnist June 14, 2021
Joe Hight
The trees filled with leaves formed a wall in front of me as I typed on a log formed into a table. Birds chirped endlessly. A blue jay landed in front of me and hopped around on a log. A bee buzzed near a red lounge chair until I shooed it away. Then it returned and buzzed some more.
That morning outside a cabin near Eureka Springs, Arkansas, was the first time I had felt solemn peace in months.
Just a few days before, I had looked up the word “burnout” to consider its impact.
This magical Arkansas town in the Ozark Mountains brims with discoveries.
Downtown Eureka Springs on March 20, 2021.
Photograph by Trevor Paulhus
Downtown Eureka Springs on March 20, 2021.
Photograph by Trevor Paulhus
April 15, 2021
This article is part of On the Road Again: A Texan s guide to road trips in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
About an hour outside Dallas, the signals of the city’s familiar radio stations start to fade. Instead of opening a music app on my phone, I hit the Seek button and catch snatches of local news reports, bluegrass, and songs I can’t place. This is my favorite part of traveling by car. I love listening in on the soundtrack that plays for people in a town that isn’t mine. And after the past year, it’s a much-needed break from the routine.