an hours observation

As I was waiting for the dreaded time clock to turn from 4:59 to 5:00, signally my release from work purgatory, it made me think how much one minute can change a persons life. What if I didn't wait that one minute and punched out at 4:59? Would 4:59 me have a completely different experience driving home? Would I pass different people and encounter different obstacles? 4:59 me might have a completely different evening than 5:00 me. On the news there will sometimes be a story about someone getting in an accident because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time; something as small as one minute could have made all the difference. Watching or waiting for one minute to tick by fills a soul with meek wonder. Time casts a shadow bigger than any of can us understand; just one minute can make a lifelong difference...

As I was walking to my car, I saw a tiny little ant scurrying among the faded blacktop facade of the parking lot. I wondered if he had a destination in mind as he scurried so hurriedly. Was his a random journey? Was he lost on the lot? Did he feel disoriented on the black surface being cooked by the hot sun? Do ants lose their way? Nature shows portray ants as being forces of nature, highly organized and intelligent, able to wander far from their homes. Was he a scout on a mission or a loner who was lost? One little ant, was he missed? Are we?

I drive a small compact car. It suits me I guess. I can't imagine tooling around town in big truck or a large SUV. They say people start to look like their pets, I wonder if the same is true for people and their cars. I have noticed that the person getting out of bigger than life vehicle usually has a bigger than life personality. My small car would probably say, "sensible, efficient, modest" not "sleek, sexy, fun". Sigh. As I was at a stoplight going north, I noticed my exact car at the stoplight but traveling east. I did a double take when I saw it. It was like catching a glimpse in a trick mirror. I have seen cars like mine traveling on the road before of course but there was something different about it this time. Here we were identical in so many ways, though moving in different directions, and for this one moment in this constantly moving world, we were stopped at the same point. It got to me for some reason. I heard someone say once that everyone has a twin on the other side of the world, someone who is just like them. Maybe our look-a-likes are closer than we think. Maybe these so called look-a-likes are realy other versions of ourselves on different paths. Will the fragmented pieces of ourselves every come together and stay?