I-75 and 14th street On-ramp, April 14, 2010
We were heading out of town on a warm April day. We were leaving later than I had hoped- getting everything together for a road trip always takes me longer than I think it will. We were finally on the road, but as soon as the interstate was in sight we could see that traffic was almost at a standstill. The kids were already arguing over the “in-flight entertainment” devices. It was going to be a long day.
After a few minutes of inching toward the on-ramp, my eyes caught the only thing moving… a perky middle-aged black man walking along the line of stopped cars. A welcome distraction! I rolled down my window. When he got closer to us (we were in the middle lane) I called out- “I have a lunch!” Without missing a beat, he replied, “Not anymore you don’t!” and flashed a big grin. He popped over to our car and asked if there happened to be a drink in there. I answered that there was a Gatorade, but I was sorry to say it wasn’t very cold. He smiled graciously, took the (somewhat crumpled) bag, and said, “Don’t drive too fast now!”
I didn’t even get the joke for a few seconds, as I basked in his happy attitude. Then I became gradually aware of where I was…. stuck in a huge traffic jam, with three crabby kids and a long drive ahead of me. I had literally been transported to a different, much more pleasant, world for those few moments of interaction with the man I had imagined myself to be serving.
Claire the last line of your post is so lovely. Connecting with others allows us to transcend — even if its only for a precious moments. These posts are really inspiring.
That’s a beautiful image of human interaction — and time travel too!!! You’ve my heart. And I want to have this kind of experience more often.
Love the pic as well. The tilt-shift effect is always surreal.
Yes, what a beautiful moment. It’s interesting how we can sometimes not realize we have had one until after it’s over. I find that to be true when I meditate too.
Claire, I’ve meant to say for a while that I love what you are doing with this. It’s inspiring in a very nonchalant way, which makes it not so much about trying to save the world, but more about enjoying life with others by helping them and ourselves. Very well done.