The United States were born in 1776, but actually, there were few states and little unity. It was a hodgepodge of 13 colonies who agreed mainly on one item: We no longer want to be ruled by a king overseas.
It took America 125 years to include the first 48 of its 50 states. The last two took another 47 years to add. So the US you know today is actually just over 60 years old! With the initial 13 members all being stuck on the eastern coast of the country, perhaps it’s no wonder the rollout and re-gathering was a slow process. How did it even start?
Yesterday, a colleague told me. He once visited a whiskey maker in Kentucky. Their Buffalo Trace bourbon has been made in the rugged beast’s spirit for over 200 years, and its name was chosen deliberately: because the first westward riding settlers had no roads to ride their wagons on. Only trails, blazed by none other than the mighty buffalo.
Wherever the animals ran in herds, their strong hooves and heavy bodies made way. Literally. So the pioneers followed in the wake of their stampedes. Flat, sturdy surfaces. Wide, dusty paths. The first roads in America were not built by humans. It was the animals paving the way.
Look down. If you didn’t make it, how is there still ground for you to stand on? Appreciate it. Be thankful. No matter how in charge we appear to ourselves, we still live in nature, not off it—and on many days, we’re being carried on the shoulders of both giants and shrimps.
