Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Ramblings of a car....Christine??

What are the chances that I didn’t once get stuck in traffic on the drive to Universal City at 2:30 in the afternoon. That is just unheard of. But when you couple it with the idea that yesterday I left work at 6:03pm and was home on my couch by 6:15pm it becomes uncharacteristic. Was there a natural disaster in Los Angeles while I was on vacation that caused thousands of drivers to disappear from the roads or are we finally understanding the importance of alternate forms of transportation? (Cue the rolling of the eyes as I was just talking about being in my car driving to & fro my destinations).

But really….what gives? Traffic has become a part of me. I feel at home when I am surrounded by it. My little cocoon, my safety net. When I am not surrounded my hundreds of cars I feel naked. Vulnerable. Is that weird? I don’t really know how to explain it. Being surrounded by so many other individuals, all coming from somewhere and going somewhere. Most of the time alone. What do they think about? Are they listening to music? Talk radio? Are they looking forward to walking in their front door. Will they be walking in the door to the arms of children, loved ones, roommates, pets? I am always so curious to know about the people that share this path with me.

For a few weeks every single morning I would see the same 5-10 drivers on my way to work. Some days I would see all 10 of them, and some days only 5. We all must live within a few mile radius of eachother & like clockwork leave our homes at the exact same time each and every morning so that within 2-3 blocks we would be driving our same route. It is at times unfathomable to me. Are we just creatures of habit? Waking up and beginning our daily routine. Starting the car….on autopilot we drive to our places of business. To enjoy them? Perhaps not. But perhaps those few people that I saw every morning were ecstatic to be going to work. I want to be like them. If they even exist.