Okay, okay. I admit, it wasn't really a road trip. What it was, was an hour and twenty minutes in rush hour traffic, but, hey, it had the atmosphere of a road trip. We bonded like it was a road trip, can't I pretend that it was a road trip?
This evening after work a colleague of mine and I headed North out of the city to do a corporate photo shoot of portraits for the start-up company I've been consulting with. With ten people attending, it was important that Chica and I showed up on time and ready for the photo shoot. And so we left work on time, which, coincidentally was just in time to hit rush hour traffic.
A trip that should take about 30 minutes took us 80 minutes. Insane, I know. People do this commute every day. I don't know how they keep their sanity. Me, I like rolling out of bed knowing I'm only 20 minutes away, worst case, in rush hour. But I digress.
Chica and I explored some big life questions and philosophies while we were stuck on the parkway. Though we weren't driving very fast (real road trips mean covering serious countryside by my definition!), it was very reminiscent of a road trip for me. Initially we had the tunes rocking out, but the conversation turned serious and deep, so the tunes were turned down so we could focus on the words being shared. It's these types of moments I love best. Don't get me wrong, I love to sing at the top of my lungs to my favourite songs on a road trip, but it's the meandering conversations that are my first love of road trips.
During our time together I realized that this lovely woman had more depth I was aware. I love being surprised! (though thinking upon it now I shouldn't have been surprised!). I've known Chica for over a year now and I respect her more than most. With an amazing zeal for life and her ability to live large, she really is a breath of fresh air when she arrives at work. She's inspiring, she's full of energy, she's full of ideas and compliments and giggles. I respected and enjoyed her as the glorious light filled person she is before our "road trip". And then I spent over two hours (in two car rides) with her talking about life.
Why more incredible? There is depth. There is a mature understanding that comes with pains that have been processed giving her a more intelligent perspective on life. It's not all high energy and fun. There is real depth to her. The discussions were intense at times and silly at others. Very much road trip quality!
I love when you start to see someone in a new light. It almost always happens (for me) after a deep conversation about life. For me, one of two things occurs - they either shine more beautifully, or their shininess is dulled. Tonight, I came to respect and appreciate Chica a little more after our mini-road trip. She is shining much, much more beautifully to me. I am grateful for our paths to have crossed.
Moments filling time in rush hour.
Moments digging deeper with co-workers to find out they are a whole lot deeper than you were aware.
No comments:
Post a Comment