Driving
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Most of the time, I don't enjoy driving. It requires attention to detail and focus which takes my brain away from important things like trying to figure out how to build a castle out of bubble gum.
There are times, however, when the conditions are just right and driving is perfect - times like last night.
I got out of class and walked to my car. The air was warm and I could smell the fallen leaves even before I heard them skittering through the street. I reached my car and, as I turned to get in, I realized that the Minneapolis Skyline was right in front of me. The buildings were lit from within and stood out clearly from the night sky. The city loomed so large that it felt like the whole scene had been painted just for me.
I settled into the driver's seat and turned on the music. I rolled down the windows and started to drive home. My left hand at the top of the steering wheel, my right on the gear shift and the wind coming through the window - I was acutely aware that there won't be many more days for open car windows and kind breezes.
So, I took my time.
With each stoplight and each turn, the years fell away and I remembered myself at 17 driving around Kansas City with my friends while we listened to the Bangles. Those nights, driving felt like freedom, like there were no limits.
I stopped for a train - city lights and sounds poured into the car - and the past was present. I sat still, wrapped in the rhythm of the bass and the smell of summer fading and felt once again that anything was possible.
p.s. Check me out on Aiming Low Family this week.