The most laid back saturday night ever

day 38:

I am staying over in Custer tonight and I have to say this is the most laid back and dead and silent Saturday night town I have ever seen or experienced in America. Sun sets at 5pm and its pitch dark at 6pm with no one absolutely on the streets. I decided to check out the bar scene just for the heck of it tonight and most places were empty. They called it the busiest night this fall but to me compared to Boston standards this was the slowest night ever. With such laid back atmosphere I felt the pressure of making something happen or to make the night more interesting but the silence was killing me. But I realized this was the effect of living a fast paced city life for pretty much all my life. I decided to step outside the box and be like most other people here. Careless, carefree, nowhere to go, nowhere to be, no one to come, no one to meet. They were happy, comfortable and happy to be sitting on a stool sipping on their beer, listening to a mixture of rock, metal or country music. They would get up every now and then to gamble on one of the casino booths within the bar or select a song from the jukebox and oh yes...most of them smoked and smoking down here is allowed in the bars. Even the bartender light one up every now and then.

As I started avoiding to look at the watch, as I started avoiding thoughts of making something happen or to get something going, I began to feel relaxed. It made me wonder why we city people are always in this constant hurry and chaos to be somewhere. Even on weekends, we have friends to meet or movies to watch or personal appointments or errands or movie to catch or a reservation made. We always have to be somewhere at some specific time. We are always in this rush to do something at a particular time. There is this constant rush. There needs to be an alarm even on weekends. I began to get all these crazy thoughts as I watched this people who had no care for time. They sure knew how to pass and kill time and I learned a little myself. Next I went into Pizza hut for dinner. That seemed like the only place open tonight. Again very laid back. I sat there forever. But the previous bar experience had me prepared and to be honest I had begun to like this now. i realized this later when i left Pizza hut and entered a high end restaurant. I started talking to people with no sense of time and then when I realized an hour had gone by since leaving Pizza hut, I was delighted, my goal of relaxing and just killing time without this constant rush or feeling to be somewhere or to do something has been achieved. I decided to call it a night.

Its been 38 days so far and on majority these days I havent woken up to an alarm clock with a few exceptions every now and then and i have to say this lifestyle seems very appealing and relaxing. The appeal of city life which constant chaos and appointments and things to do and be is going to be very interesting and challenging to return to whenever I get back to it. It has made me conflicted on what is better. Which one is a better way to life and enjoy life? Alarm clocks, constant rush and tech obsession to phones, emails, social networking sites, is that what really life is? Or is it doing whatever whenever wherever carefree without any guilt or qualms about it. Without getting thoughts or feelings of not being productive?
I am not sure but I will continue looking for the answers in the days, weeks, months to come.

new connections made today:

49. A waitress from Lithuanian at the ice pack place. Came here to visit and decided to stay in Keystone
50. Forgot to mention this connection yesterday. Saw her again at the entrance of mount Rushmore. Very friendly woman. helped me with motel search yesterday and asked me about my trip as she saw my super packed car and she asked me about those things again. I accidentally missed the parking lot and had to circle around and she found that funny and was like: what the hell are you doing? with a big wide smile.

Reached 50: 50 connections made in 38 days. That's awesome! woooooooooooo hooooooooooooooooo!

51-53. 3 friendly waitresses at the bar at the Italian dining place in Custer. A red sox fan, a Bulgarian and another local woman from Custer. Really friendly to talk to and they gave me a good glimpse at their lives and life of local people around Custer.

new good deed made:
21. extravagant tip of $20 to the cleaning lady at the white house motel
22. More picture taking for tourists
23: Extravagant tips of 90% and 100% to waiters and waitresses in Custer bars.