Enjoy the Ride

We were almost inside the city limits. The ride down from Brugge was going so smoothly, even in the rain, before we missed one critical exit. Suddenly our very large 2.8meter high van became engulfed in the fury of Friday end-of-day traffic. I had no idea what highway number we were on or how we were going to escape the claustrophobic clutch of cars, cars and more cars. We were making like escargot, slithering under a wet charcoal sky in a direction away from Paris. My eyes were fixed on the glow from the map on my GPS. "Not good. This is not good", I repeated. Still, whenever a salty situation like this begins to try and shake me, I always remember those who didn't make it to work on time on 911. I think about how frustrated they may have been because of traffic or whatever circumstance that caused their fortuitous delay. Perhaps it was a 'delay of destiny'. Perhaps the schedules we make and try to keep are ultimately foolish practices for when it comes to designing our day we are far from being the Master Planners we would like to imagine.
Well I have to go to bed now. It is late and I am tired. I just wanted to share with you this little nugget, how the road trip ended. We arrived to our destination, spot on schedule. In fact we managed our way quite nicely through the labyrinth of dimly lighted, narrow streets in the 'Marais'. A hip and active quarter of Paris where one has a better chance at seeing a unicorn than a parking spot, let alone one that can accommodate a mammoth sized van. Well, thanks to today's 'delay of destiny' a large car pulled out one half block away from our destination, exactly when we arrived, leaving us with a lot more than just a space and a smile....

Enjoy the Rid e~